Buenos Noches Querida, Wherever You Are
by LasDosQueridas
Summary: What happens when Susannah is kidnapped by Paul and Jesse can't get to her and she is gone indefinitely? Will their love last through the trial, or will it fall apart?
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer - Of course the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything, not me. The only thing I own is the plot line for this particular fanfiction.  
  
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Okay, so here's the thing. It's not that I like Paul. Not by any means. In fact the only reason I'm hanging out with him is because he threatened me. Oh, this wasn't your usual , I'm going to kill you if you don't spend time with me threat. No, it wasn't that type of threat at all. In fact, it was just the opposite. The fact was, Paul was going to exorcise my boyfriend. Yes, you read that right. He basically threatened to take the love of my life, the hottie of all hotties away from me, if I didn't spend time with him. Okay, so I didn't enjoy it, but hey, whatever it took to keep my hot male roommate in this world with me, I was going to do.   
  
So today was a day like any other when it came to shifting lessons. Paul was bringing me home (yeah, I know. I should've learnt my lesson a long time ago, but hey.) and I had a splitting headache. Post-shifting will do that to a girl. Anyway, I had already had about as much of Paul as I could take, when he touched on a very sore subject as it was. It only made my want to hit him worse.  
  
"So, Suze, you still haven't told Jesse about our little meetings, huh?" He smirked over at me.  
  
"What business is it of yours?" I growled back at him. I had my head laying on the back of the passenger seat and was in absolute torture over my headache.  
  
"Well, I just think that it's interesting that you haven't told. Is it possible that you may have something that you're feeling for me?' He reached over and grabbed my hand in his.  
  
"Eww! Paul, not on your life!" I screeched, throwing his hand quickly off of mine.  
  
He chuckled, evilly. "Susannah, it's only a matter of time." He said, as he pulled into my driveway. "I know that one day, you're going to love me. And...." He leaned over to whisper in my ear. "When that day comes, I'll be waiting." And before I knew it, he was kissing me.   
  
I'm serious. One second the guy is practically threatening me again and the next he's kissing me like we had been going out for months. Now, I don't need to remind you that he's an excellent kisser, but, come on. What about Jesse? I was so confused that I could feel the headache that I already had making itself more prominent. I tried to push Paul away but he was too strong. Just don't kiss back. I thought to myself. The least you can do is that. So, summoning up all of my strength, I pushed him away forcefully and jumped out of the car. I ran toward the house and didn't look back. It was just a really good thing that I hadn't looked into the backseat and saw Jesse, now that would have been a really hard mess to talk myself out of. It was a very good thing that he hadn't witnessed the little scene that had just occurred.  
  
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	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer - Of course the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything, not me. The plot line is my friend's idea and mine.  
  
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I walked into the house and breathed a deep sigh of relief. I had gotten away from Paul and   
  
Jesse hadn't seen. Maybe my day was picking up.  
  
"Hi honey!"   
  
"Hey, mom." I said, without enthusiasm. I silently walked up the stairs and stood outside my   
  
door, trying to forget what had happened in the driveway. Maybe Jesse would make my day better. I grinned at the thought as I entered my room. But boy nothing could have ever prepared me for what happened next.   
  
When I entered the room, I saw two things. Number one: the mirror was shaking. Number two: Jesse was sitting at the window looking down into the driveway. As I realized what must have occurred, or   
  
more simply, what he had just seen, I drew in a deep breath and braced myself for what was, inevitably, going to happen.   
  
Jesse turned around when he heard me enter the room and just stared at me for a second, and then he exploded. "Susannah!" He thundered. "Nombre de Dios! How could you.... what were you...." It was like he couldn't even speak to me, he was so angry.  
  
"Jesse, let me explain...." I began.  
  
"Susannah! What were you thinking? Being in a car alone with him! You knew what would happen! Have you forgotten that he tried to.... kill you!" He bellowed.   
  
I could see that he was, more than a little angry because of the way the mirror threatened to detach itself from the wall. Frustrated I flopped down onto my bed. "Jesse, just listen to me. I need to explain something to you. First of all.... I'm sorry." I began, looking up at him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the mirror seem to settle back into place and I took a deep breath before beginning again. "Jesse, Paul said that if I didn't spend time with him then he would exorcise you." I stated simply.  
  
He looked at me a second before sitting at the edge of my bed. "Susannah, I'm not going anywhere. I've told you that." His gaze was really starting to unnerve me.  
  
"But, Jesse. You don't understand. You can't stop what Paul does. If Paul wants to exorcise you, or gets it in his mind that he's going to find you and take you out of the picture forever, then he can do it. There's nothing you can do to stop him. That's why I'm hanging out with Paul. It's not that I want to, cause I really don't."  
  
I looked up at Jesse, after my little speech and noticed that the mirror wasn't shaking anymore and....surprisingly enough.... the contempt that he had held in his eyes when he had looked at me.... was gone. Wow, I knew the power of speech was pretty good but I didn't know it was that good.   
  
"Susannah, I don't want you to get hurt just because of me. I'm worried that Paul is going to try something with you and then...." He made a violent gesture in the air that obviously meant something dark and dangerous in Spanish. He grabbed my hand. "I worry about you."   
  
"Jesse listen, its just a few shifting lessons...."  
  
"Shifting lessons?" He looked at me incredulously.  
  
"Yeah, you know going into the whole dark fog thing...." I glanced up at Jesse preparing for the worst reaction from him.  
  
"Just be careful, querida. I cannot tell you what to do and where to go, but you must take caution in anything that has to do with Paul Slater."  
  
The use of his nickname for me made me melt on the spot. It was something about the way that he seemed to be so protective and watchful over me that seemed to do the trick, but I really couldn't think about that right then because the intense look he was giving me made me blush and lower my eyes. He leaned over and kissed me and believe me, it was a lot better than the kiss that Paul had given me just half an hour before.   
  
"Querida, I must go." He whispered, "I will see you tomorrow." And with that, he was gone. I groaned and got up, preparing for bed. In truth, I would never get over this little disappearing act that Jesse had lately seemed to be doing....a lot.  
  
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Well, that's it for the second chapter! Please read and review.. You know you want too.....That little purple button is just calling your name.... :) 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer- Of course the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything, not me. The plot line is my friend's idea and mine.  
  
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I would just like to say that on behalf of me and my friend....thanks for reviewing! That was way cool of everyone who reviewed.  
  
And now on with the story....  
  
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I woke up in a completely different attitude than I had when I went to bed. This however, was because I now had a hand covering my mouth and I could hardly breathe. I looked up into the darkness to see if I could connect a punch with someone's face, assuming it was some angry or peeved off   
  
ghost. Suddenly, my bedside lamp turned on, revealing the scariest face I had ever seen in my life. Paul. I screamed against his hand and tried to punch him with my fists as hard as I could, but to no avail. He simply laughed and laughed. Confused, and in slightly a state of panic, I bit his hand as hard as I could. Now, I don't like having Paul's blood in my mouth, but at that point I was desperate and would have done practically anything to get him away from me.   
  
"Oww!! What the heck did you do that for!" He tried to yell, but his pain was causing his voice to go hoarse.   
  
I tried to get up but he tackled me to the floor. Suddenly, I saw him pull out a small white cloth and a bottle with some type of liquid in it. He dabbed the cloth into the liquid and put it to my face. I was getting sick from the smell of it and when I glanced down at it, I saw the initials and I panicked. MDS. I looked up at Paul with wide eyes and realized what was happening. Jesse!! I thought as I tried to fight against Paul. Unfortunately, he had the better advantage and before I knew it, I slipped into an oblivion, unconscious of what was happening to me.  
  
Jesse's POV :  
  
Jesse!! I heard Susannah yell as if from a far off distance.   
  
"Jesse? What's wrong?" Father Dominic's voice broke through my thoughts and I looked up at him stunned, from where I had been sitting.   
  
I stood up. "I'm sorry, father. I have to go."  
  
"Go? Go where? We were just getting into an interesting conversation about World War II...." He paused and then looked at me worriedly. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Susannah." I said. "She needs me. She's in trouble. I have to go." I said again. "Goodbye father." I said. I dematerialized and rematerialized in Susannah's room. "Susannah, what's going...." I looked around the room. Susannah was no where to be found. "Susannah?" I asked, frantically looking around for any sign. Then I noticed it. The clutter on the floor....the mess that was strewn all over my dear querida's room. Something had happened to Susannah. Someone....had taken her. Paul. I thought to myself. I sneered and looked around once more, dematerializing. I had to find her....and fast.  
  
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Well, that's the third chapter! Thanks for reading and now you've just gotta click that little purple button at the bottom of the screen....and don't worry......the chapters will get longer....I promise. :) 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- Of course the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything, not me. The plot line is my friend's idea and mine.  
  
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I would just like to say thanks for all of the great reviews the story is getting. Thanks a lot!   
  
And now.....Chapter 4! :)  
  
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"Suze....Suze...." I woke up suddenly, as if hearing my voice from a dream.   
  
"Jesse?" I whispered.  
  
"Why do you always have to bring that stupid cowboy into every one of our conversations?" Paul yelled at me.   
  
We were inside a dimly lit room that smelled of gym socks. And trust me, I know what they smell like due to Dopey's complete lack of knowledge concerning how to work a washer and a little thing called....the shower. I slowly began to make sense of what was going on. "Paul, where the heck are we?" I screamed at him, hoping to get some kind of decent response.  
  
"Oh we're still in Carmel Hills, we're just somewhere no one will find us." He grinned, leaning closer to me. "It's just the two of us Suze. Get used to it."   
  
Frustrated, I kicked him in the shin....hard. "You just don't understand do you Paul? I can get away from you so quick that you won't even realize I'm gone." I sneered.   
  
"Oh yeah." He looked up eyeing me. "Well in that case. See if you can."  
  
I began walking towards the door and tried to open it. It was locked. Now, I tried to hide my panic, I really did. But panic....yeah, not so easy to hide when you're in a locked room with a guy who's already tried to kill you once, and more than likely....thinking about doing it again....or worse. I took in a deep breath and turned around to face him. I looked at Paul hatefully and then smirked. "JESSE!" I called as loud as I could. Paul laughed. This could not be good. I thought as I stared at him, hoping that he mistook the fear for anger.  
  
"That's not going to work Suze." He chuckled. "Why can't you see that we're meant for each other?" He reached out his hand to touch my face.  
  
I knocked it away. "Paul what the heck did you do!" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm and under control, but it wasn't working too well.  
  
"Oh, just a little something that my friend concocted." He motioned over his shoulder.   
  
For the first time I realized we weren't the only ones in the room. Biker Bob was standing in a corner smirking at the little scene taking place before him.   
  
"What did you do?" I asked Paul again. This time I know he saw the panic in my eyes.  
  
"Oh....is little Suze getting scared?" He looked at me grinning evilly, "It's just a simple drug really. It knocked you out for a little while and now, you can't call your precious cowboy to you. Your mind is completely blocked to the mediating world. This....me and you....well, that's all you will be concentrating on for a long while."  
  
"So let me get this straight." I looked at Paul and gritted my teeth, trying to put it all together.  
  
"You....kidnapped me????" I asked in disbelief.   
  
"That's right sweetheart...." He looked as if he would explain more, but suddenly his watch beeped. "Oh....sorry about that, but we'll have to talk about this later, I've got a day of school to contend with." He smiled and leaned in to kiss me on the cheek.  
  
I kneed him in the gut and watched, in satisfaction, as he fell to the floor. "BOB!" He yelled. "Make sure she doesn't try anything funny. I want you guarding this room until I get back. You understand?"  
  
Biker Bob nodded as he and Paul slipped out the door. I heard the lock click and slowly sank to the floor. I was dazed. So dazed in fact that I hadn't even thought about anyone coming to rescue me. All I could think about was my family, Father Dom....Jesse. I realized that I could think about them, but as far as trying to call Jesse, as I had been able to so many times before, I couldn't. I realized, to my dismay, that I had never wanted to use my mediator powers more than I did right now. What has he done to me? I thought silently as I began to feel tears, and I hate it when I cry, welling into my eyes. I tried blinking them back, but it didn't work. I sat bawling for a good hour and a half before I finally realized someone was in the room with me. Someone with an all too familiar spectral glow around them. "Jesse?" I looked up, hoping against hope that it would be him.   
  
I gasped at what I saw instead. "Maria! What the heck are you doing here!?" I yelped. I stood up and grabbed her by the hair. "What do you want Maria? Does this have anything to do with Paul? Are you in this with him too?" I yanked on her hair harder. "Tell me!"  
  
"Oww!" She yelped in pain. "I don't want to be here anymore than you do." She growled. "But I needed to talk to Paul about our deal."  
  
"What deal?" I asked, letting go of her hair slowly.  
  
"The deal I made with him to get rid of Jesse last summer! He told me that I would finally get peace and then you sent me back to that place and he never filled his end of the deal and I was spit back out down here. They told me I still had something left to do." She shrugged her shoulders. "I do not have a clue as to what they meant."  
  
"Well....you're about as screwed as I am." I looked at her suspiciously.   
  
"Oh, and why is that?" Her eyes narrowing slightly at me.  
  
"Because, Paul has me trapped in here and I don't have the slightest idea how to get out."  
  
Maria looked at me uncertainly. "You mean you're stuck here without...." She looked at my disheveled hair and my, now, dusty pajamas. "Without a comb or running water?" She asked.  
  
I looked at her dumbfounded. Leave it to her to find the stupid in a helpless situation. "Maria. That's not important right now.....what is important is that I have to get out of here."  
  
Suddenly she disappeared. Just *poof*, just like that. I groaned in helpless frustration and began walking around the confinement of the room. I had to find a way out and soon.  
  
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Okay, there's the fourth chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. You know what to do. :) 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- Of course the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything, not me. The plot line is my friend's idea and mine.   
  
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For those of you who keep reviewing....you people are the greatest! Continue reviewing! :)  
  
And now....Chapter 5.  
  
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Jesse's POV :  
  
I have looked all night for Susannah. She is nowhere to be found. Once I thought I heard her calling again, but I am afraid my imagination has gotten the better of me. My poor querida. What if she's hurt? Or worse, what if she's dead? I can't think about the thought of losing my querida. It's driving me crazy how I can not find her. I know she needs me. I know she is in trouble. But where? Where is she and how can I find her?   
  
These thoughts ran through my brain all night as I searched frantically for her. I finally came back to her room just as the sun was rising and sat down. I looked at the clock. Pretty soon her family would be getting up and realize that Susannah was gone.   
  
I saw more than felt the tear that was coursing down my cheek. I grew angry with myself. Susannah is out there and I am in here feeling sorry for myself? How can I be so self absorbed! I   
  
jumped up and dematerialized. I was going to find my querida, if I had to search for the rest of time.  
  
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Paul's POV :  
  
I laughed as I shut the door and locked it, leaving Susannah in the dark. Soon, soon she would be mine and I wouldn't have to put up with her "wonderful cowboy" anymore. I smiled to myself and walked around the corner. I just had to meet one other person and things would be complete.  
  
Maria's POV :   
  
I dematerialized from Susannah. It was fun seeing the fear in her eyes. I didn't care what happened to her, I had bigger fish to fry. Mainly Paul if he did not stick to our deal. Though I couldn't help but feel bad for Susannah. She was stuck without water or beauty essentials; and her clothes....well they were less than perfect. That really had been a disgusting sight. I rounded another corner and felt Paul's presence somewhere nearby. I forced all thoughts out of my mind as I rounded the next corner and listened in on the conversation taking place.   
  
"....I just want to get rid of him. Suze's heart is going to be so broken. I can't wait until she finds out that her precious De Silva is gone for good...."  
  
I gasped and knew that he had heard. I quickly dematerialized before he could see me and materialized outside the building Susannah was trapped in. I could never wish heartbreak on anyone, even my worst enemy. I breathed in deeply before making my mind up and materializing inside next to Susannah.  
  
Paul's POV :  
  
"Yeah, just make sure you off De Silva soon. For good...." I smiled and chuckled lightly to myself. "I can't wait to see the look on Susannah's face when she realizes that her precious "cowboy" is gone for good...." I smiled. My smile quickly faded however. I heard something or rather someone....gasp and I turned around but saw no one.  
  
"So, when are you going to do it?" One of my evil minions stood beside me.   
  
"Well," I said. "Sometime soon, but not now."  
  
"Yea, you're right. We can just wait and make Susannah suffer for awhile."   
  
"I like the way you think." I grinned at the prospect and continued on my way to another day of teenage boredom at school, becoming immensely happy as the day progressed.   
  
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Well, that's Chapter 5....hope you liked it! You know what to do....give you a hint....it involves a little purple button at the bottom of the screen! Thanks! :) 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer : Of course the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything, not me. The plot line is my friend's idea and mine.   
  
And now, I submit for your approval....Chapter 6!   
  
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Susannah's POV:   
  
"Susannah!" Someone was shaking me. "Susannah!"  
  
I awoke with a start and stared around me. "What the...."  
  
"Susannah please. You have got to be quiet." Maria pressed a finger to her lips as I sat up groggily.   
  
"Maria what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm getting you out of here, but you have to trust me." She whispered frantically.  
  
I had my doubts, but something in her eyes told me that she was here to help me. She helped me up. "Okay, so how do you plan on my escape? Paul has Biker Bob posted outside the only door and there are no windows in this whole room. It's impossible."  
  
"No Susannah. It isn't impossible. You must trust me."  
  
"Why should I? I mean you haven't exactly gave me a reason in the past." I scoffed.  
  
"Because I am the only one who knows you are here and therefore am the only one who can provide for your escape."  
  
She had me there. I followed her to the door.   
  
She looked at me. "Okay, I am going to unlock this door for you. Then while I am distracting Biker Bob, you must slip out the door quietly and run as fast as you can to the left. Run out the door and   
  
into the alley way. I will meet you there."   
  
With that Maria disappeared, leaving me completely speechless.I stood staring at the spot where she had just vanished completely stunned. As if from the distance, I heard the lock clicking and quickly snapped out of my state of mind. As I was getting ready to open the door and peep out, I noticed a small book sitting on a table. I picked it up and opened it. I gasped as I read the contents of the book and ran my hands over the thick leather coating of the book. I closed it and ran to the door with it.   
  
I opened the door a crack and looked out. Biker Bob was standing facing to the right, away from where I stood. I looked out and saw Maria talking to him. Maria looked past him for about a millisecond and looked at me as a signal for me to run. I edged out of the room, slowly, carrying the book in my hands. When I looked back and saw no one following me I quickly began running down the left hallway. I found the door, ran outside and into the cold wind. The alleyway that I was supposed to meet Maria in was completely silent and dead (excuse the pun). Suddenly Maria materialized in front of me. I must have jumped a foot. I'll never get over ghosts doing that. Anyway, something about the look on her face froze me cold. It was almost as if she had pity for me.  
  
"Susannah, there is something that I must tell you and you may not want to hear it."  
  
I gulped.  
  
"I know that you and Hector....I mean, Jesse....were very close." She looked at me. "Listen Susannah, I know we've had our....little....misunderstandings...."  
  
That was the understatement of the year. I thought.  
  
"....But I would never wish this much heartbreak on someone." She looked at me helplessly.  
  
I definitely did not like where this conversation was headed. "Maria....is something wrong with Jesse? Did Paul do something to him?" I bit my lip, dreading the answer.  
  
"Susannah, Jesse....well....he's gone."  
  
My blood ran cold and I sank to the pavement crying before I even realized what was happening.  
  
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Maria's POV :  
  
I thought that it would be nice to see Susannah cry. Give me justice for what she did to Diego, you know? But seeing her cry like that over Hector reminded me so much of how I cried for Diego when I was parted with him. He was pulled out of my grasp....no questions asked. And as I sat and watched Susannah cry....I felt my own eyes brim with tears.....as the thought brought conscious memories of Diego. And when I heard Paul say what he had about "getting" Jesse and getting rid of him completely and the way he planned to do it....and then what his plans were for Susannah....well....I realized that this thing....whatever it was, was bigger than me or my hatred for Susannah. I guess that's why I decided to help her. When I came back to tell her and saw how she reacted when I told her Jesse was gone, it made even I feel bad for her. All I could think of was how much she must love him. And somehow....somehow I knew the feelings were mutual. Hector may not have loved me, nor I him, but I had seen the way he looked at Susannah. I knew what he was thinking. I knew. I also knew how much of a idiot Paul really was and the lengths he would go to keep Susannah for himself. I comforted Susannah as best I could. However, it was very awkward.  
  
"Susannah, now he can watch you wherever you go and keep you safe everywhere. I am very sure of this." I whispered.  
  
"But he's gone," she wailed. "I never even got to say goodbye....or....or....tell him that I loved him." Her crying then was of no mortal sound. It felt as though the whole world could feel her pain and hearing it coming from her very soul made the whole world mourn with her as well. She looked up at me. "I really loved....love him." She whispered, pulling something out of her pocket. It was a picture of Hector when he was alive. She held it tightly against her and sobbed.  
  
Suddenly a loud crashing noise came from within and we realized that Biker Bob must have found out our deceit. "Susannah, we must hurry." I whispered.  
  
She choked back her sobs and followed me quietly. We ran to the main street and then followed some back roads until we reached a diner on the corner street going out of Carmel Hills. We ran inside and sat down. Susannah never said a word the whole trip here, such was her grief so strong.  
  
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Okay, that's Chapter 6, now you know what you have to do, right? That's right....that little purple button is calling your name right now. :) 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne and Adriaan are ours as well.   
  
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Without further ado.....Chapter Seven!   
  
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Susannah's POV :  
  
I must have looked pretty amazing when I ran into the diner. My hair was everywhere, I only had dusty pajamas on and my face, not so easy to see behind the mucus and tears. A waitress came over to where I had flopped down. A beautiful young girl who couldn't have been more than my age. She looked at me pitifully.  
  
"Oh honey, you look horrible."  
  
Thanks for stating the obvious. I thought miserably.  
  
"Look, would you like to get cleaned up a little in back? I've got a pair of extra clothes you could have."  
  
I looked up at her. "Thank you." I managed to croak out. Maria followed us silently.  
  
We got some pretty curious glances thrown our way. One guy in particular looked at me and knitted his brows together.  
  
"Who's that?" He asked the waitress.  
  
"Shut up, Adriaan and get out of my way." She said, pushing her way through to the back.  
  
"Here's some towels and a brush and...." She pulled a pair of jeans and a baggy blue t-shirt out of her locker. "...some clothes. I hope you don't mind me asking, dear, but....what's your name?"  
  
"Susan...." I stopped myself. If Paul started looking for me, it would be easy to track me down under my old name. I thought a minute. There was nothing left for me back home besides my family and Father Dom and I couldn't go running back to them. If I did, Paul would find out, know where I was and come after me, putting not only myself in danger but both my family and Father Dom also. I couldn't ever return.  
  
"Susan?"  
  
I looked up. "....Yes....Susan....Susan," I thought a moment. "Susan Thompson."  
  
"Well, Susan, my name is Anne and just let me know if you need anything. I'll be right out side." She smiled at me and walked out.  
  
I looked at Maria.  
  
"You know what you have to do."  
  
Yes, I knew. All too well in fact.  
  
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Paul's POV :  
I came back from school that day and found the door to where I had taken Susannah wide open.   
  
"Oh, crap!" I yelled out. I looked in her room. There was no one. Suddenly Bob came around the corner. "Where the heck is she!?" I screamed at him.  
  
"She got away. I don't know how she did it. One minute I'm talking to this hot chick named Maria and the next thing I know....they're both gone."  
  
I muttered an extremely loud curse word and ran into the room. So Maria had sprang her. That little witch....only I said something that sounded a little different.  
  
I looked around. Nothing seemed to be missing. My eyes landed on the table in the corner. "Oh...." I muttered another extremely loud curse word and frantically searched for the book that had been laying on the table before I left. "She took it!" I cried out. "We have to find her....and soon." I ran out of the room and out the door for my car. If she had that book then all of my plans were ruined.  
  
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Susannah's POV :  
  
I shivered slightly as I was led through the dimly lit corridors of the upstairs rooms in the diner. If this was where I was to stay, it wouldn't improve my mood very much. I smiled slightly as Anne said something, trying to make me feel better. I suppose she took my smile as confirmation that I   
  
was feeling better and she led me to a small room in the back of the corridor and opened the door.  
  
"It's a little dusty because no one's lived here in a while, but...." she looked over at me nervously. "It is livable." She sent me....what I expect was supposed to be a comforting smile, but the ice inside my heart resented anything happy.   
  
I smiled weakly at her....just to be nice and took a look around the room. It wasn't what I expected it to be. It wasn't exactly ancient, but it was old. I looked around and spotted the one antique piece of furniture in the room and felt my eyes brimming with tears. It was a wood grain mirror that seemed to be from the early 1800's. As soon as this recollection hit me....my eyes that had been slowly filling with tears....began overflowing. I went over to the bed and sat down. Dust flew around me....but I didn't notice it at the time. I just sat and bawled. Literally. I hated crying like this. Especially in front of anyone. Because looking at that mirror....reminded me of Jesse. Everything that I knew about him seemed to come in little spurts into my mind now. Like the time he had saved me from Heather. The time he had gotten angry with me for sicking the RLS Angels on Michael....and the many numerous times after. Sitting on the roof, his stupid cat and the affection he had for it....my crying could not be helped now. I lay down on the bed and felt a tissue being placed into my hand. As if from far away, I heard the door of my room close. I sat and cried....thinking about him....and.... Maria, awkwardly patted me on the back before dematerializing to wherever the heck ghosts went to. I finally fell into an exhausted sleep thinking of nothing but my broken heart.  
  
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The first thing I saw as my eyes opened was Maria sitting uncomfortably on a nearby chair that had been placed in front of the window. "Maria? What the heck are you doing here?" Okay, before you say anything....I know she had just helped me escape the evil clutches of Paul and everything but look at it from my point of view. The girl had tried to kill me....not once.....but twice. Plus, she had ordered the murder of my boyfriend so you can see where I get my frustration and anger towards Maria. I looked back up at her and almost burst out laughing.....but stopped myself. She looked highly uncomfortable with her petticoats and long lace dress and layers upon layers of clothing. I mean how hot was it? 150 degrees or something. It was scorching in that room.   
I didn't wait for a reply to my question. I just sat up and turned the alarm clock to face me. "2:30?" I groaned and fumbled for the side of the bed to push myself up. I got up slowly looking around. At first I had thought that everything had just been a horrible nightmare and as I walked around.....I feverishly fought to keep that illusion true. Failing at that.....drastically.  
  
I tried to fix my hair (as best as I could) before heading down to the diner.   
  
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Upon my arrival into the diner, I noticed two things. One....Maria hadn't shown up downstairs and two....Anne was staring at me like I was completely insane.  
  
"What?" I snapped.  
  
Anne looked taken aback. "Sorry." She whispered before continuing to serve the customers who were now swarming the already sweltering hot diner.  
  
I blinked my eyes and really looked at Anne for the first time. She was a very pretty blonde girl in her early twenties. She had light blue eyes and seemed to be a few inches shorter than I. I heaved a deep sigh and smiled weakly at Anne. "I'm sorry Anne, I'm just not having the best of luck today."  
  
Anne looked up and her face softened into a look of concern. "Oh Susan. I'm so sorry."  
  
I plopped down at the back counter and heaved a huge sigh.  
  
Anne came over and sat next to me. "Sometimes it helps to talk about it." She said.  
  
"Well....I....uh....." I felt my eyes welling with tears. What was with this? I was turning into a regular water works fountain or something. Before I knew it the whole story came flooding out of my mouth causing me to gasp for breath and cry even harder. I omitted the stuff about me being a mediator and being able to see ghosts and all that stuff because let's face it....Anne just wouldn't be able to take it.  
  
Just then, the guy that I had seen yesterday came bustling through the back door. When he saw us, he put on a huge grin and sauntered over to us. "Now I've told you over and over again Anne to stop confessing how much you love me to other people before I even get a chance to hear the news."  
  
"Shut up Adriaan and get back to work. You....I believe.....have a whole line of customers just waiting to see your loving face." Anne shot back at him. She smiled as he walked off....carrying that same bemused grin with him.   
  
"So, where are you gonna stay so that this.....Paul.....can't find you?" She asked. She knew that I couldn't go home, as I had profusely expressed this numerous times while telling the whole story to her.  
  
"I don't know. I was kind of wondering if I could stay here?" I asked, hopefulness dawning bright into my eyes.  
  
Anne thought a moment. Then she smiled. "The rent is $50 a night, but I think we can work something out...." She smiled and looked down at my disheveled clothing. "Ummm.....one thing though...."  
  
I grinned at her nervously.  
  
"We need to do some shopping."  
  
My smile widened. Shopping would definitely take my mind off of some things for a while. Just for a short while but hey....as long as I could escape the pain for a second or two....  
  
"Adriaan!" She yelled.  
  
"What?" He came busting through the door from the kitchen.  
  
"Cover for me." She said simply, grabbing my hand and pulling me along to the door. She didn't wait for a reply from Adriaan before we were out on the street in front of the diner.  
  
"So what are you gonna do for a job?" She looked over at me.  
  
"Well, I don't know...." I began thinking, carefully. I wasn't the job type but under the circumstances....  
  
"Might I make a suggestion?" Anne asked, grinning.  
  
"Yeah." I looked over at her.  
  
"Work at the diner...."  
  
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Well, there you have it. Chapter Seven. Okay, I need to point out something. First of all, Paul actually wasn't angry.... he was just in pain because Susannah had kicked him....a lot. He was also being ver cocky and arrogant with the fact that he was still trying to have her for his own. Also, a lot of you seemed very confused about why Maria is being so nice to Susannah. If you look at the end of Chapter 6, in Maria's POV, it says that she has empathy for Susannah, because that's how she felt when she couldn't find Diego, because Maria was just as in love with Diego as Susannah is with Jesse. I hope that clears up that little problem! :) Oh and don't worry, Maria's.....hateful....disposition comes back after a few chapters! :) Oh and I should probably also mention that Jesse is not gone, but Maria had only heard a snippet of Paul's conversation and got it confused that Jesse was actually gone and went to tell Susannah. So right now Susannah thinks that he's gone, but he actually isn't. Hope that helps! :) Thanks for the reviews! Keep reviewing! You know what to do! :) 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne and Adriaan are ours as well.   
  
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Now that that's done....  
  
The Thank you awards go to....  
  
Mystique Angelique  
  
Corcra  
  
Alexis De Silva  
  
ChocolateEclar  
  
Lizzie9  
  
and  
  
saltytheseashorecrabshell  
  
Ya'll are so nice to be reviewing! Thanx a bunch! And keep reviewing!   
  
:)  
  
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Okay, so here is the next chapter! Hope you like! And if you don't understand something....don't worry....it will become clear within future chapters! :)  
  
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Jesse's POV:  
  
  
  
The family has been searching for over five months now. I think they have given up hope that my Susannah is alive. My heart yearns to see her again. Her beautiful eyes, her beautiful hair, and the way her attitude always seemed to get the best of her. My heart believes that Susannah is alive and not dead, but my head thinks otherwise. I know I am only holding up on false hope but I am not ready to give up on my querida. I'm not ready to let go. Not yet. I love her and I still believe that our hearts are still connected somehow.  
  
A week or two after her disappearance, the policemen were called off and everybody just knew that she was dead. But I cannot give up hope. Her room....and mine.... seems to be the only sanctuary I can receive. I talked Father Dominic into letting me move back into her room. He saw the pain and sadness that Susannah's disappearance had on me. He had cried almost as hard as Susannah's mother had. Although, it did not seem that, among the living, anyone was taking this harder than Doc....I mean.... David. He now proceeded to cry almost every night. In my heart, I had made a silent vow to Susannah to take care of him for her because out of all her brothers, he seemed the most important to her.  
  
I miss my querida more than words can say. Everything seems to remind me of her. I have also made a vow to myself. That I will find her.... no matter what it takes.  
  
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Okay, there's chapter 8....and before you get mad at me, I know it's short, but trust me....it's supposed to be. I had to end it there to help it make sense! Don't worry, Chapter nine will be longer, I promise! Thanx to all who review! You guys are awesome! Now, continue your excessive awesomeness and click on that little purple button again! Thank you! :) 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne and Adriaan are ours as well.   
  
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Thanx so much for all the wonderful reviews! You guys rock! Okay, so I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while! Please forgive me! Hope you like this chapter!   
  
And now.....on with chapter 9.  
  
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Susannah's POV:  
  
"Susan! Over at table five!" Anne yelled out across the counter.  
  
"Ok!" I yelled back at her, across the room. I picked up the dirty plates from my last table and walked across the room, depositing them into the dishwasher before picking up table five's order and walking it back to them.  
  
"Here ya go!" I said, grinning. Trying to do my best to keep this little act going. It had been five months and I still hadn't forgotten about Jesse. Though the aching pain was still there.... it didn't hurt quite as bad.   
  
"It's six!" I heard Anne yell at me again.   
  
I quickly walked back to the back, throwing my apron into my work locker and grabbing the keys to my apartment. Yes you heard that right.... my apartment.  
  
I had recently purchased the apartment.... or rather rented it.... from Anne...since that awful day five months ago. Anne had taken me shopping and bought me a brand new wardrobe. Then we had come back to the apartment and Anne had secretly had it fixed up for me while we were gone. Adriaan was waiting for us when we got back and given it a fresh paint job and everything. So, now.... officially.... this is my home.   
  
And it was actually kind of funny.... what Adriaan did with the place. He had decorated it in....Spanish antique stuff.... and it looked nice. But I don't think that they got the reaction that they had been hoping for because I started crying right then and there as soon as I walked into the room and saw everything. The strange thing was.... it felt like I had finally come home in a sense. I guess I started literally losing it because it reminded me so much of Jesse. I guess when I was talking to Anne, I had told her that I really.... REALLY liked Spanish things and she had told Adriaan and they had gotten together and fixed up my room to make it look.... well.... homey. In it there was still the mirror, my bed had been covered with new bed sheets and such (which looked nice, might I add), and there was all of this really cool Spanish antique furniture.... which Adriaan later said he had found at an auction for cheap. Anne had hit him when he said this.   
  
It's very strange not having parents to cry to or talk to.... and I sort of.... hopefully they didn't find this out.... missed my step-bros. I mean, come on. I used to wake up to Dopey's rather loud music, and Doc....he was so inquisitive and the only one in the household that actually sort of knew.... what was going on with me. Sleepy.... well I just missed Sleepy being Sleepy. But most of all I missed Jesse and Father Dom....they were the ones who I could really open up to and now I couldn't even talk to them. Father Dom because I wasn't ever aloud to go back to Carmel.... and Jesse.... well I wasn't going to think about him at this point because it definitely still hurts.   
  
And I definitely hadn't had anymore ghostly visitors since Paul had done whatever he had done. I cried almost every night for that first week, because I couldn't call anyone or anything and let me tell you.... I tried. Also, I hadn't seen Maria in a long while and I kind of wondered what had happened to her. I kind of missed her psychotic abilities.... not. But she had been very nice in rescuing me. I don't know.   
  
Speaking of Maria.... you've heard of birds of a feather flocked together.... I found myself wondering where Paul was at this point. Obviously he had stopped looking for me.... especially since I had only seen him once in the past three months.   
  
He had come into the diner.... I guess looking for me, but I had seen him through the window before he'd gotten inside and I had ran into the back cooking area...literally freaking out. Adriaan had asked me what was wrong and since I had ranted about Paul for the first few months I was there to both Adriaan and Anne, they both new how terrified I was of him. So Anne had calmly taken his order and given it to Adriaan, and Adriaan, who practically hated Paul at this point, had calmly cooked his food and then spit in it. Anne and I had practically died laughing. Let's just say Paul never showed up in that diner again.   
  
Speaking of Paul, remember that book that I practically stole from him. Yeah.... that was way interesting. It turns out that it was Dr. Slaski's entire journal about the secrets to mediation. It told me everything that Paul was going to...."teach" me. Yeah right. Anyway, after my first week living in the apartment, I actually got brave enough to look inside it. As I was reading I was amazed to find that I could grow stronger in my mediation abilities.... I even think that this book holds more power in teaching me than Father Dom ever could. I had begun reading it that week and was still reading it as of now. In fact, that's where I'm headed now is to read more about mediating, because maybe.... if I could get strong enough.... I could force Paul out of my life, forever.  
  
I opened the door to my apartment and walked inside...throwing my keys to the counter, as usual. I reached over to the small hidden cabinet that had been installed in my room, thanks to Adriaan and Anne.... I still don't know why.... but I was glad. Because in that little compartment I could hide the most important book in my life.... Dr. Slaski's journal.   
  
I ran my hand alongside the counter and flicked a small switch that was hidden behind the cabinets and the door opened to the hidden cabinet. I quickly reached inside the journal and sat on the couch for another few hours of reading.   
  
After about 30 minutes of exhausted, tiring reading, I felt myself slowly starting to drift to sleep. I practically made myself flip the page.... and then.... I wasn't tired anymore. I gasped at what I saw on the next page. Slowly sitting up I began reading the article. How To Bring A Dead Soul Back To Life. My eyes grew wide as I read what had to be done and what had to be said. It was all so simple. All you had to do was think about the person you wanted to bring back to life and chant a few rhyming things and they would be brought back to life. I read through the chants aloud and felt my eyes brimming with tears. I couldn't help it. Maybe if I had gotten this book before Paul had done what he did, then I could have saved Jesse. I was the one to blame! I felt the tears falling down my cheeks. I tried Jesse, I really did. I'm so sorry! I gasped in frustration and sat with the tears overflowing until I fell into an exhausted sleep, one word falling onto my lips as I slept. Jesse.  
  
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Well, there you have it. Chapter 9 and as always.....you know what to do! :) 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne and Adriaan are ours as well.   
  
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Let me be the first to say....I AM SO SORRY YOU GUYS!!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!! My computer has been messed up for the past couple of weeks and I haven't been able to get online and post for you guys! I am so sorry! Please forgive me! *tear, tear* Okay, guys to make it up to you....this chapter is a little longer so, thanx for reading and reviewing and continuing to be as loyal as you are. You guys are AMAZING! :) Enjoy.  
  
  
  
This is all in Jesse's POV and the whole chapter is supposed to be happening while Susannah is reading from the book (see ch. 9)  
  
And now.....on with chapter 10.  
  
(and don't worry, there will be plenty more after this :)  
  
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Jesse's POV:  
  
"Jesse....You have to let it go. It wasn't your fault." Father Dominic was trying to reassure me as usual on the fact that losing Susannah, my querida, was no one's fault but Paul's. I felt so bad for my poor Susannah. There were only two possibilities as to her whereabouts. Number one, Paul had killed her, I shuddered at the thought, making Father Dominic look strangely at me....or number two....well I didn't even want to think of the possibilities. I had searched everywhere for Susannah and had not found her and I have almost given up hope. Her family had had a funeral for her, because they hadn't been able to find her. I had cried, though I do not wish to admit it all the time, through the whole thing. Of course, there was nothing in the coffin, but it was just to symbolize that the family thought she was dead. As do I, but I won't let myself think of that right now. So now the symbolized coffin, rests beside my own....not because of any significance to the family....but Father Dom and I knew different. Father Dom had purposely set the grave next to mine....because he knew how much it meant to me....and how much it would've meant to Susannah....my eyes grew misty with tears. Now, I sit three red roses on her grave just before sunset....to symbolize those three small words that I could never say. The words that, I can only assume, would have meant so much to my querida. It breaks my heart to think that my wonderful querida is gone....and that I'll never see her again....her beautiful hair, her green eyes....  
  
"Jesse?" Father Dom's voice cut through my thoughts like a knife.  
  
"Yes, Father?"  
  
"I know you miss her....but...."  
  
I interrupted him. "I know Father....but that doesn't help now does it?" I stated firmly, grief filling my voice.  
  
He looked at me startled for a second. "Father....I think I just need to go think for a while." I whispered, getting up. Before I dematerialized I heard him say, "I know Jesse, I miss her too." And I could almost swear that I heard his desk drawer opening so that he could find that ever-present box of cigarettes. I smiled wearily before dematerializing completely.  
  
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I materialized in front of Susannah's grave....red roses in hand. I had stopped to pick them from a flower garden at the school and now I thoughtlessly toyed with them in my hands. I had begun placing three red roses on her empty grave every day to symbolize my love for her. In truth, the three words that I had never said to her, but had longed to say. I had been too nervous and scared....and that is where my downfall lay. I sat beside her grave and began whispering intently. I had to get a few things in the open, no matter if Susannah could hear me or not.  
  
"Querida, I know you may not be able to hear me, but....but I love you," It's such a relief to get that out in the open, "I love you so much, mi amour! I am more sorry than words could say that I could not save you. My heart aches with thoughts of you. Maybe....if I had not been so....how did you say....stubborn, this would not have happened to you. Susannah, I just want you to know that I love you, querida, more than words could ever begin to describe. Nothing could ever describe you querida....you were....are perfect in every way. I wish I could have told you this before you left me. Susannah please, send me a sign that you know this. Send me a sign that you love me as well." I whispered, my voice breaking and tears began to pour themselves down my face, even though I had no conscious recollection of them. Then someone cleared their voice behind me.  
  
"Jesse."  
  
I turned around slowly and had to do a double take.  
  
"She loved you as well." Her dad stated, his own eyes blurry with tears.  
  
I stuttered. "Mr....Mr. Simon. I am very sorry. Please forgive me. I should not have...." My voice trailed off as I began to stand up.  
  
"No, no....Jesse. Sit back down. I need to explain some things to you as well." He took a deep breath.  
  
I looked at him startled. "Is anything wrong, Mr. Simon?"  
  
"No....no....Jesse....well...." He sat beside me and looked at his daughter's grave stone. I know you must miss her a lot. And I think that it would be better if you....just moved on....there's nothing holding you back anymore, Jesse. You could leave this place and not feel the heartache and suffering anymore...."  
  
I interrupted him. "But sir, what if Susannah is still alive. I could never forgive myself if I left and she was still out there....waiting for someone to find her."  
  
Susannah's father just looked at me with pity in his eyes. "Jesse....you know....as well as I do....that she's gone." His eyes misted over with tears again. "And we just have to deal with that."  
  
My own vision had become blurry and I hear, rather than felt the way my voice began changing considerably when I began speaking again. "Sir....I....I just don't want to give up hope that maybe...."  
  
"NO!" He stated, looking at me firmly. "Jesse. Don't beat yourself up over this. What's done is done. My little girl is gone...."  
  
I stood up, ignoring what he had to say and stared at Susannah's grave stone.   
  
  
  
Beautiful daughter, wonderful friend, Querida.  
  
  
  
I smiled slightly when I saw this. No one had asked why Father Dom had put that on the grave stone, because they were too depressed with grief. 'MY querida.' I thought to myself. I looked up to see that the sky was getting dark and the stars were coming out slowly. 'I wish I could bring my querida back to me.' I whispered silently to myself. Susannah always loved watching the sunset and watching the stars come out....it is one of the main reasons we had spent so much time on the roof outside of her window.... I was broken out of my trance by Susannah's father's voice again. I sighed.  
  
"Jesse, you need to listen to me....you need to understand...."  
  
Suddenly I could not hear him anymore. Because I was doubled up with pain. I cried out as I fell to the ground, coughing and sputtering. This pain....it was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life....or lack of. It was completely horrible.   
  
"Jesse! Jesse! What's wrong?" I could hear the concern coming from Susannah's father, but I couldn't seem to process it. The pain was too much to bear.  
  
I saw everything....every memory I had ever had....flash before me as I writhed in pain. I saw my sisters fighting over one of their favorite dolls. I saw mi madre y padre holding each other and smiling at all of the kids. I saw Susannah and I fighting the RLS Angels. Then I saw myself sitting in Susannah's room....holding her, kissing her. I saw us at the mission, holding each other as if we would never let go. I saw her smile....I felt something I thought sure was fire....spreading up through my legs, into my stomach, across my arms, onto my face....and then nothing....because I passed out.  
  
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Well, there you have it. Chapter 10 and as always.....you know what to do! :) You guys are the best!!!! :) 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne and Adriaan are ours as well.   
  
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Thanx so much guys for reviewing! You guys are so awesome! I must gush about you constantly! Now, I won't make you wait any longer for the next chapter since you guys seem to like this story so much. I just hope that we can continue to meet your expectations. Okay, without further ado....Chapter 11.  
  
  
  
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"Jesse!" I heard someone yelling my name and tried to sit up, but quickly fell back down. I felt the pounding in my head and groaned as I lie there in so much pain. I gasped for breath....wait....breath? I opened my eyes and put my hands in front of my face....they didn't have that otherworldly glow to them that they usually had. I looked over at Susannah's father in amazement.   
  
He looked about as shocked as I felt. "Jesse....how...." He seemed to be at a loss for words.   
  
"I do not know, Mr. Simon. How could this have happened?" I asked. I touched my cheek and put my hand above my mouth. I could feel breath coming from me and grinned. I'm ALIVE! I smiled and put two fingers to my wrist....and felt my pulse pounding from there. I sat up slowly, minding my head, and looked at Susannah's father.  
  
"Jesse....can I ask you something?"  
  
"What is it Mr. Simon?"  
  
"Go find out what happened to my little girl." He dematerialized right in front of me.  
  
I stared at the place where he had just been. "Don't worry, I intend to." I whispered. I was alive....now I could fing out what really happened to my querida. She just couldn't be dead. I would not settle for that. I had settled for that excuse far too long. I thought to myself as I got up and walked out into a new world of technology and living....breathing....people, who could see me. And that scared the heck out of me.  
  
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Susannah's POV:  
  
  
  
I woke up this morning to bright sunlight creeping in through my window. At first it was so bright that I thought that maybe my dream had come true and Jesse was waiting on me with open arms. Huh, yeah....right. Unfortunately, and as I suspected, I realized all too late that it was just the sunshine creeping through my window. I groaned and rolled over as my high hopes died with a silent thud in my heart. I glanced over at my bedside table and picked up the little book that I had sat there the night before. I flipped to the article I had been reading last night and skimmed over it once more. I felt the tears stinging the backs of my eyes and decided that maybe it would be better to continue with the book and not dwell on....well....that particular subject. I jumped up and grabbed a bottle of water that I had sitting in my apartment and began chugging it down as I sat cross legged on my bed, flipping to the next chaptered article.   
  
I gasped. If anything this article had been almost as surprising as....well....the last one. My eyes never left the page until I finished the article and by that time I was jumping for joy. The article had been about the "medicine" that Paul had decided to administer on me that day without my knowledge. It said that after about five months or so the "medicine", as Paul so calmly put it, would wear off, enabling the person who had had it administered to them, able to call ghosts to them once again. I looked around. So far nobody must want my services, since no ghosts were showing up. You'd think that since I'd been out of commission for a few months I'd have work lined up out the....well you know. I smiled to myself as I thought about all of my mediation skills being zapped back into my body. Now that would be a funny and slightly interesting sight. 'Cause as much as I hated them, I'd be lost without them.   
  
Speaking of sights, a slight shimmer appeared at my left shoulder and I jumped. Suddenly, my mind raced and my heart started beating loudly. Okay, you know who I thought it was right? My heart believed it was Jesse, but my mind just tried to keep telling my heart to shut up and get over it....that Jesse was never coming back and that I'd just have to accept it. My hopes still grew higher, however, but were shot down just as quickly when I turned around and discovered who it really was. "Maria?"  
  
She jumped slightly at the mention of her name and broke her gaze away from the floor to fasten onto my face. "Oh, so you can see me now?" She sneered.  
  
Well, I was not going to take this. I mean, give me a break. My boyfriend gets taken away from me, I can't go home and talk to my family, Paul is out there....somewhere (the spawn of satan that he is) and here I have this incredibly annoying, yet sometimes very helpful (though I hate to admit it), ghost trying to push my buttons already. And it isn't even noon yet....how rude! See this is the part about my job I hate....if you can call it that. Anyway. I chose to just ignore her particularly rude comment and settled back into the question I was just dying to ask. Get it. I laughed to myself. Okay, so my sense of humor is a little warped. By now, Maria was looking at me like I had lost my mind. Okay, well, maybe I have. "What do ya want, Maria? I'm kind of busy as you can see."  
  
She looked slightly taken aback by this but, well....tough luck. Hey, nobody ever said that I had to be all nice and happy when I talked to her. "I will just ignore that little comment and tell you what I came here to inform you of."   
  
Now seeing as how the last time she told me something and began the conversation similar to this, my heart literally ripped into a million pieces. So you can see why I wasn't too happy or eager to hear what she had to say. But I gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Go ahead, but make it quick. I have a lot of important things to do today." I trailed off, getting up to organize my clothes and my room. Now of course I had just told a flat out lie, but I mean really....would you have wanted to sit and listen to....what had to be bad news....from Maria, of all people? Didn't think so.   
  
She looked at me and grimaced slightly. As if it were hurting her to actually talk to me and have an at least civil conversation. "Susannah, you might want to sit down."  
  
Immediately my eyes shot to hers and I realized that whatever this was, had to be important, or somewhat at least. Never breaking eye contact with her, I made it to my bed and sat down, waiting for her to speak again. I held my breath unconsciously.   
  
"Susannah, there is something that I must tell you and it is...." she took a deep breath, "....difficult to say the least....and I know what I have to say will probably make you angry or upset...."  
  
My breath came out in a slow hiss and I interrupted her sharply. "Maria get to the point."  
  
She shot a sharp glare at me for a second, her eyes like hot coals. I rolled my eyes and kept my mouth shut. Eager to finally hear what she had to say. She looked at me for a second longer....I guess sizing me up and trying to see if I was indeed actually ready for what she had to say. "Susannah, while you were....indisposed....well....I couldn't get in touch with you, because of what Paul had done....to your mediating abilities....and well...."  
  
"MARIA!"  
  
"Oh....anyway, I went to that....place that I was sent to when you exorcize me and I happened to run across this....guard....person."  
  
I looked at her stupidly. I had no idea where all of this pertained to me. Especially with the gladiator looking dude. "Why do I care, Maria?"  
  
She got a very disgruntled look on her face before she answered me again. "Because....Susannah, Hector never went to that....that....place. What you have to understand is that....something....something happened to Hector....Jesse....something....unnatural and now he's stuck somewhere...."  
  
Geez, cryptic much? "Wait! Wait a minute...." I gasped, trying to find the exact words to convey my emotions correctly at that point. "Maria....are you telling me....there's a chance that....he's not gone?"  
  
Maria looked at me, eyes widening with understanding. "Susannah, do not get your hopes up, but yes....there is a chance that he may not be gone for good."  
  
Then....for the second time in front of Maria, I cried. Except this time, my tears weren't sorrowful. Oh no. They were full of hope.   
  
~~~~  
  
Well, there you have it. Chapter 11 and as always.....you know what to do! :) You guys are the most wonderful reviewers anyone could ever have!!!! :) Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's going to start really getting good now. :) hehe. 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne and Adriaan are ours as well. 

Thanx so much guys for reviewing! You guys are so awesome! I must gush about you constantly! Now, I won't make you wait any longer for the next chapter since you guys seem to like this story so much. I just hope that we can continue to meet your expectations. Okay, without further ado....Chapter 12.

When I finally managed to control the stream of tears that had been falling thoughtlessly down my face, I looked back up at Maria. "Maria, I want you to do something for me."  
  
Maria looked up sullenly into my face. "Why should I do anything for you?" She growled. "Your love is coming back to you and what do I have? Nothing....so please, explain to me why I should do something for you." The kind Maria was gone, now that she knew that Jesse was still around.   
  
"Maria," I said, realizing how hateful she was going to get, "If you do what I'm going to ask you to do or if you don't, we have two options."  
  
"Oh yeah and what's that?" She sneered.  
  
"Well, if you do help me, then you get exorcised and get to be with Diego. If you do not help me then I beat you to a pulp until you help me. What's your choice?"  
  
She looked at me startled for a moment and then sneered. "Fine, but make it quick."  
  
"Okay, I need you to go to Carmel and look for Jesse." My eyes were wide with anticipation.  
  
"Fine." She snarled and disappeared quickly.  
  
I groaned. I hate ghosts with attitude problems.  
  
Meanwhile, while she would be detained in Carmel Hills, I would be getting ready to go back. And that idea startled me like nothing else ever had. I had been wondering how everyone else was doing and if they missed me. I couldn't wait to see the look on Father Dom's face when I came strolling back into town....Wait! I couldn't go rushing in and see everyone. Paul was still lurking somewhere, what if he tried something again. I grabbed the book on my bedside table and stared at it....when I went back, I'd be ready. I had to get myself stronger than him. I had to....

Paul's POV:  
  
Hmm....Suze left without a single word. I thought she loved me more than that. Well, well, well....Doesn't surprise me. Actually I should have suspected it....what with her being into dead guys and all. What kind of pleasure could I possible give her, I'm not dead. This thought brings a snort of laughter from me. Yeah right. Would I ever give up on her. Nope. I especially didn't expect her to leave so quickly, I mean, I thought we would be able to have some fun together. I laughed. Me and my dirty mind. Anyway, its kind of annoying though, trying to find her before De Silva does. I mean, no one runs out on Paul Slater. I'm like the freaking hottest guy around and I know that Suze felt something when I kissed her....otherwise....why did she kiss me back? I mean, every girl that kisses Paul Slater, feels....something. How could they not? I'm just so darned hot. And Suze saw that....I know she did.  
  
These past few months have eaten at me until I can't even think straight. I hate not being able to find her, I'd make her tell me why she ran away....okay, well yes that's a given but come on....she shouldn't have run away from a stud muffin such as me. I grinned at this thought and continued walking down the side street that I suddenly found myself upon.   
  
Up ahead, a strange....a very strange sight occurred to me. Now, I hadn't gotten rid of Jesse like I had intended to. In fact, I really hadn't even thought about him that much, cause I had been looking for Suze. But there he was....standing at the corner of the street....staring off into space. As I got closer I had a funny realization. He wasn't glowing....he wasn't a ghost anymore. I grinned and then walked a little faster, getting closer and closer with every second that my feet moved towards him. This was going to be fun. I smirked and continued towards him.  
  
Well, there you have it. Chapter 12 and as always.....you know what to do! :) You guys are the most wonderful reviewers anyone could ever have!!!! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know you guys were all looking forward to dramatic music that stud muffin Paul. rolls eyes dramatically. Okay, now you can just click on the little purple box now. :) 


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne and Adriaan are ours as well.

You guys are SO awesome! Do I really need to tell you that tho? You know you're awesome. Don't you? Well, anyway, you are! Alright, enough of my ranting and raving, on to Chapter 13!

Jesse's POV:  
  
I had gone to talk to Father Dominic and he had been just as interested in what happened to me as Susannah's father was. I groaned slightly. My head still hurt a little....you know....from just coming back to life and all. Father Dominic had told me to just go home and lie down. To which, of course, I replied, "What home?" That had made him pause and he became deep in thought. He told me that I could of course stay at the rectory, but then I thought once more and said that probably wouldn't be too good of an idea. I had told him I'd figure out something and walked out. Now here I was....standing against a building....thinking about where I could go....my day getting exceedingly worse as time went on. Being alive was harder than it looked after a hundred and fifty years. I shook my head and pursed my lips, deep in thought.  
  
Suddenly, I heard the scuffing of feet and looked over. "Slater." I growled, staring at him with such an angry intensity that even he paused and backed up for a second before continuing his advance towards me.   
  
"de Silva." He said, almost nonchalantly. This irritated me. How could he be so calm, when he seemed to know that I wanted to rip his throat out? I knew he had taken my Susannah and I wanted to know what had happened.  
  
He walked towards me and stood beside me, grinning arrogantly. "So, de Silva, what's been happening with you lately? See you got yourself back to life....wow, how'd you manage that? Been hanging around with some other femal mediators lately....giving them the slip. In a matter of speaking, of course." He smirked at me.  
  
"If you would be so kind as too not talk to me like we were old friends, Slater. I'd greatly appreciate it." I was trying to keep my voice calm, but my blood seemed to be boiling and I was seething with hatred for him. Nombre de Dios! He's the guy that tired to kill my querida and stole her from me and Dios only knows what else he's done to her! Who would not be more than a little angry with Slater.  
  
"And why would I do that?" He spat. "Anything that brings you happiness needs to be squashed, quickly. Speaking of that, I wonder how Suze is doing right now." He smirked at me with a know-it-all arrogance that caused my anger to surface quickly and before I knew it, I had lunged for him feeling as though I would rip him to shreds.  
  
I grabbed Paul hard by the neck and sent him flying into a nearby wall.  
  
"Sht de Silva! What the heck is wrong with you? Does it irritate you to hear the truth? Does it upset you to know that I was the last one to see your precious Susannah?"  
  
I stopped; listening to this.....this....no words could describe him, talk about my Susannah, my blood boiling.  
  
Paul must have known that he hit a nerve, because he continued. "Does it worry you to think that Suze was in a room....alone....with me?" He grinned savagely, arrogantly. "Let me tell you, de Silva," He spat. "She is VERY good."  
  
I couldn't listen to him anymore. My rage was such that I couldn't think; I could only rip Paul, limb from limb.  
  
He stood up and readied himself as I tackled him to the ground. He was no challenge. I knew that I could beat him. He was just an insolent evil....thing....that I had to break in half. My conscious had no bearing over me at this time. This was more than conscious, more than blood, more than anything, because this was my Susannah that he was talking about....and that out ruled everything.  
  
Before I knew what was happening, I had pinned Paul to the ground, my fists my only weapon, but they were doing the trick. Paul's nose was already bloody due to the fact that I had broken it just moments before....again. However, my conscious seemed to be coming back to me in full force because I stood up, flexing my muscles, ready if he decided to come at me again. He stood up.  
  
"de Silva, you're going to have to do better than that." Paul sneered, throwing his blood stained jacket to the ground and wiping away some blood that had worked its way to his mouth.  
  
By this time a gang of guys were coming down the street to watch the fight, intent on seeing the match.   
  
Paul smirked arrogantly at the sight of the guys. "Now you're going to get your as kicked, de Silva." He spat, now openly smiling wickedly.   
  
"You are scum and I do not wish to have your death on my conscious. I'm not going to fight you anymore Paul. You're not worth it." I growled, turning to leave.  
  
"Oh really, de Silva? That's not what your sweet little Susannah said."  
  
I heard the arrogant smile that must have been plastered on his face....in his voice. My hands curled to my sides....I was not going to give in to Paul's want for a royal....well you know....kicking. I continued walking.  
  
"Did you hear me de Silva? You freaking cowboy wannabe!" He yelled out.   
  
You could have heard a pin drop, the place was so quiet. I began to turn around when I felt Paul rush me. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled my arm upward but my anger was so intense that I didn't feel the pain.  
  
I twisted the arm that held mine and body slammed Paul into the concrete. I heard bones breaking, but I did not care. I wanted to cause him pain.  
  
I kicked him in the side....hard and then stopped myself. Already my conscious was coming back to me. I groaned in frustration and turned around and began walking back toward the corner of the alley. As I walked off, I heard the commotion behind me as the boys ran back to their houses....some afraid and some merely disappointed that the fight was over. But it would never be over....never.

Well, another chapter finished and you know, you guys have been so great that I decided I'd do things a little differently this time! So here goes nothing:  
  
Many special thanks go out to the following people trumpets blare -   
  
Jesse and Susannah foreve  
  
Mystique Angelique  
  
Akaruiookami  
  
purtymanagirl58  
  
Lizzie 9  
  
saltytheseashorecrabshell  
  
the end has no end  
  
ChocolateEclar  
  
Alexis de Silva  
  
Bloody Rayne  
  
esodes08  
  
D'Arcy  
  
Kat-Mason  
  
muzacgurl  
  
Lilly  
  
Ghost Magic  
  
Nighat

And now I will answer some "most asked" questions:  
  
How will Jesse be able to see Susannah? - That's an easy question to answer actually. Two words....he won't.  
  
How Jesse was able to see Susannah's father after he changed and came back to life? - Also easy question to answer. You see, when Susannah unintentionally brought Jesse back to life, she transferred some of her mediator powers into him, enabling him to see ghosts while alive, just like her.  
  
Is Paul worried about Suze? - Not really, he knows she's still alive. At least, he thinks she is. :)

Alright I hope that answers some of you guys questions. Stay tuned for Chapter 14! You know what to do! (looks at the little purple button and winks. Come on, you know you want to!) Thanks for reviewing, you guys are the greatest ever! :) 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost.   
The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne, Adriaan, and Alea are ours   
as well.

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Oh my gosh! You guys are the best. I am so glad that you have stuck with me and my friend's story, that's great! Especially since I haven't updated in a while. I am SO sorry. Basically, I'll tell you what happened. It's all about being a senior in high school! That has taken my time, like, 24/7. Then my computer crashed like two days after I posted the last chapter. So I really haven't been too happy because of it. It really sucks! Oh well, now I have my computer back and can give you all what you've been wanting. Another look inside Jesse's brain! YAY!LOL. Alright, here's chapter 14, hope you enjoy. (oh yeah, and review!)

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Jesse's POV:  
  
I strode into the mission and then to Father Dominic's office. "Hello? Father Dominic?" I said a little loud, so that he could hear me. Maybe he wasn't even here. 

"Jesse?" He came out of the backroom; arms loaded with miles and miles of books.

"Nombre de Dios, Father….Let me help you." I exclaimed, taking some of the books and   
setting them on the floor. "What were you trying to do?" I asked.  
  
"Oh, I'm just trying to figure out how you came back to life so suddenly, without warning…." He kept looking through his books and hadn't noticed the cut on my face just yet. I silently hoped that he wouldn't look up to look up to see my face (which now had a fine line of blood trickling down it, from Paul's one and only good punch), because I know how Father Dominic is on fighting….I have seen him become angry with Susannah more times than one for putting herself in danger and fighting. I hoped he would not try to lecture me…after all; I had won and taken care of a "little" nuisance.

"Jesse, have you found a suitable place to live yet?" He looked up and I realized that I was going to get a huge speech about the importance of not fighting. "Oh my goodness Jesse, what happened?" He asked, sighing tiredly.  
  
"Oh, it is nothing Father….really."   
  
He gave me a knowing glance. "how is Paul, by the way?" He asked, nonchalantly as he gathered a few medications from a medicine cabinet. I knew what a few of the medications were, due to having to apply them for Susannah whenever she became engaged into a fight….which was quite often.  
  
I gave Father Dominic a look that seemed to convey the idea that I did not want to talk about that particular piece of vermin. He nodded knowingly and began applying alcohol to the cut that happened to be above my left eye. I wince, but Father Dominic took no notice of this. "You never answered my question, Jesse."  
  
I looked up at him, which proved to be a rather painful experience because my eye seemed to be swollen just a bit. "No, Father, I have not found a place to live yet. I was just thinking along the lines of that subject when that little…."   
  
"Jesse." Father Dominic warned.  
  
"I am sorry…." I replied curtly, before continuing. "When HE came by and we fought."  
  
"Well…." Father Dominic looked as if he were casting around in his mind for a different topic so that my anger wouldn't rise again. "I believe that you should begin thinking of somewhere to live." He looked at me.  
  
"But where Father? I have no money and as you can plainly see….anyone who saw me would think that I was el stupido by my clothes."  
  
"May I make a suggestion Jesse?"  
  
I looked at him for a second. "Sure."  
  
"We can go in to town today and get you some normal clothing and by then we should be able to find you a place to live."  
  
I was practically speechless. "Father, I could not ask you to trouble yourself."  
  
"Nonsense Jesse. Besides, I know Susannah would have wanted you to be as comfortable as possible…."  
  
I saw that familiar look of sadness in his eyes and knew that it matched my own."We will find her Father. I know it. She is still alive."

He just gave me his pitying look that told me he didn't believe a word I was saying. I dropped my gaze to the floor and just sat there until we were ready to leave to find me some clothes.

About half an hour after our little discussion, we were standing in front of a small shop that promoted suits and ties….very rich looking outfits. "Um….Father?" I looked at him questioningly. I really did not think that "casual wear" consisted of suits and ties.  
  
He seemed to read my mind. "Of course, this is not what we need." He nodded his head towards a store across from the store we were standing in front of and began walking towards it. I followed him and when we entered, I saw what looked like thousands of different articles of clothing for men from wall to wall."Ah! Here we go." He walked over to a young woman with a red shirt on that promoted the store.  
  
"May I help you?"  
  
"Yes, my friend here needs some….updated clothes. I can't seem to help him, so if you wouldn't mind I would like your assistance on the matter."  
  
She grinned and looked at me. I saw something in her eyes that made me fell rather uncomfortable, but I extended my own hand anyway and shook the hand that she was offering.  
  
"Alea Maxwell." She stated, grabbing my hand and shaking it firmly. "But everyone just calls me Ali." She grinned and continued to stare at me.  
  
"Nice to meet you, Alea….my name is Hector de Silva and I would like to find some casual clothing."  
  
"of course….and you can call me Ali." She smiled at me and batted her bright blue eyes, before walking to the back of the room and through a small door.  
  
"Well, Jesse, if you're going to be okay here, then I'm going to go and finish up some paperwork at the mission."  
  
Father Dominic turned to leave. "Father?" My voice was kind of shaky, though for reasons I couldn't even begin to fathom.  
  
He turned back around and must have saw the apparent anxiousness of my face. "It's okay, Jesse. Just be you. The world isn't that much different from when you were…." He dropped his voice. "….Alive." With that, he turned around and walked out the door, leaving me alone with….Ali.  
  
"So, Hector….you're Spanish huh?"  
  
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Nombre de Dios! I turned around to face her. "Yes."  
  
"Could you say something in Spanish for me? PLEASE?" She smiled and tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and began twirling a strand of it around one finger.  
  
I rolled my eyes and then looked back at her. "Do you understand Spanish?" I asked, before I got into trouble.  
  
"No….but I'd love to learn." She touched my arm.  
  
This was getting very confusing. "_Nombre de Dios, como estupido eres tu? Mi querida es Susannah, tu idiota_." (a/n: Translation : "How stupid are you? My sweetheart is Susannah,   
you idiot.")  
  
She just grinned. "That is so sweet! You must have all the girls chasing after you. I bet your girlfriend is SO jealous." She was staring at me pretty hard.  
  
"No, actually…." She interrupted me.  
  
"You don't have a girlfriend?"  
  
I almost laughed then, but kept it down to a slight grin. "No, I meant, she doesn't care. She's not that type of person."  
  
The look on this girl's face was one of complete loathing. I almost laughed aloud again, but decided to save the girl the embarrassment. I grinned at her and her now completely red face.  
  
"Miss…."  
  
"Alea."  
  
I grinned. "….Alea, can I just pick out some clothes now, please?"

"Sure." She replied, sounding angry. Although I do not understand why. I proceeded to follow her around the store, picking out different sets of clothing and went to try them on.  
  
I went into the dressing room; arms loaded with pants…something called jeans and shirts. I began changing immediately. I decided that I liked all the pants and so I kept those. I did not like some of the shirts, but I thought that the button down shirts looked nicely on me, so I decided to keep those. I tried on the last couple of shirts that I had left and then was getting ready to leave. As I was shrugging my shoulders out of the last one, Alea came bursting in wanting to know if I needed any help taking any of the clothing back. She still seemed to be in a particularly bad mood since our little conversation. I stopped in my tracks and she came bursting into the dressing room.  
  
"Hector, did you need anyth…." She stopped speaking and stood, staring straight at my chest. She must have realized what she was doing after a few seconds, because she beganexclaiming how sorry she was and the fact that she shouldn't have just barged into the room. Her face was a deep scarlet color.  
  
I stopped her. "It is okay. Just….next time you plan on barging into a room while someone is changing, you may want to let them know first." I grinned at her as she shut the door and then breathed deeply as I changed into the outfit that I was going to wear out of the store, which consisted of a black button down shirt and a pair of….khakis….I think that is what they are called. I went up to the register and paid for my outfits with the money that Father Dominic had given to me on the way over to the store. He had showed me how to count the specific change for my clothing and so I gave her the direct amount. She smiled at me and gave me the change for my purchase and wrote something down onto a little slip of paper and handed it to me, along with my clothing.  
  
Before she could say a word, I graciously thanked her and told her that it was…um…nice to meet her and then I quickened my pace to the door, however before I could reach the handle, she called out to me.  
  
"You'll find her." She called. "And by the way, I'm not a complete idiot, Jesse." She grinned as I walked out the door.  
  
_How did she know my name? And what was she talking about…."you'll find her"? Did she mean….no she couldn't mean that. She didn't even know Susannah_. I became so confused that while I was walking from the shop to the mission, I bumped into a short brown-headed girl as she was walking along the sidewalk. "Sorry." I mumbled before continuing on my journey towards the mission. Little did I know that when I got there, I would have an interesting proposition, from two people who I thought would never talk to me or know me in my life…or….afterlife considering.

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Okay, there you have it! Now, to answer a few questions and fix a few booboos….. First of all, when I was answering questions before, I was sleep deprived and I wasn't thinking clearly. When I said that he wouldn't be able to see Susannah, I meant, he wouldn't be able to see Maria. Don't worry, everything will be revealed in the next couple of chapters or so….(I hope) Anyway, thanks for reading and chapter 15 will be out soon! You guys are the greatest and now you know what to do _glances at the little purple button_. 


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne, Adriaan, Alea and Denise are ours as well.

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Okay! You guys are awesome! Let me just start by saying that! Next, I'm giving you another chapter, and for those of you who don't know what's going on with Alea....I'll give you a clue within this chapter! :) Okay? Alright, for your entertainment....Chapter 15! :) (oh yeah, please be kind and review! :) Thank you!)

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Alea's POV:  
  
I watched Jesse walk out the door and slumped against the counter. That had to be one of the hardest tests ever! I watched as my best friend Denise entered the store. "Hey Deni." I said, with no enthusiasm. Hey I was tired, I had just had to put o my best performance....something I wasn't completely used to.  
  
She jumped around excitedly. "SO? Did it work? Is everything going according to plan?" Her blue eyes jumped around nervously.  
  
"Of course. Now, we just have to let nature take its course. Of course, we will help....a little." I added, seeing Deni's glance.  
  
"Ali! You know we can't mess with fate too much." She said. "Sad though. Hey did you get a look at his abs?!"  
  
"Of course." I grinned. That had been the fun part. Let me tell you, that was one HOT Latino.  
  
"Ali?" Deni's call snapped me out of my usual daydreams and back into reality. "Okay, so now what do we do?" She asked.  
  
"Now we sit and wait for our next cue."  
  
"Will it work?"  
  
"I hope so Deni....I really do. We can't afford to screw up a second time." I sighed and tried to go on about the day as usual, trying not to think about what wuold happen if this didn't work....everything would be complete....chaos.

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Jesse's POV:   
  
"Father!" I called, running through the main office and crashing into his office. "Father Dominic....something really strange is going on!" I panted.  
  
"Jesse. I'm glad your here. I was just talking to the two people who I had a meeting with today." He gave me a very stern look.  
  
That was the first time I noticed the two people sitting in front of his desk, looking at me like I was some sort of _psicopata_. (a/n : psychopath)  
  
"Jesse....meet Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman....Susannah's mother and stepfather.  
  
I stepped back and took a good look at them, embarrassed at my behavior. Of course I knew who they were, I had seen them with Susannah many times, but....I could not exactly tell them that. Susannah's mother looked stricken at the mention of her daughter's name, but she slowly stood up and flung herself upon me, openly crying. I looked up first at Mr. Ackerman, who just gave me a half smile that didn't reach his sad eyes and then I looked at Father Dominic, who motioned for me to say nothing.  
  
"So you are the guy that Susannah was such good friends with?" Her mother let go of me and looked up into my eyes. "Thank you for being such a good friend to my daughter." She said with so much sincerity that it made my eyes begin to well up with tears.  
  
"Yes, Jesse was one of Susannah's best male friends." Father Dominic explained, rather gruffly. I looked up at him and noticed that his own eyes were brimming with tears. He quickly blinked them away and continued as Mrs. Ackerman sat back down.  
  
"Anyway, I was explaining your...." He cleared his throat, "living situation...."  
  
My eyes got wide, but he continued quickly.  
  
"And I was explaining how you just got kicked out of your family's house and you need a place to stay...."   
  
At this Susannah's mother interrupted him. "Yes, I think that is SO sad, Jesse. I just want to let you know that we are here for you no matter what. After all, you were my little girl's best guy friend and any friend of Susannah's...." Her voice was breaking slightly, "....is a friend of ours." She finished, pausing slightly to collect herself.  
  
"Jesse, Susannah's parents have offered to let you stay with them until you can find otherwise." Father Dominic looked at me knowingly.  
  
Mr. Ackerman, who had not spoke the entire time, finally looked at me and gave a knowing look. "I know you two must have been really close." He admitted. "You'll have to earn your way....but we'll be happy to take you in." He smiled slightly.  
  
I was shocked. I had not expected him to agree with Susannah's mother. He had actually been giving me a few choice looks as soon as I had entered the room. But now, he seemed to be adjusted to the idea of me having to move in. Though he still looked slightly suspicious of me.  
  
I, grateful to now have a place to sleep, looked gladly at Father Dominic, who just shook his head in acknowledgement. Not knowing what to say, I tried to form coherent words to thank the family for their gracious offer. "Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman, you do not know how much this means to me." I replied, sincerely. I grinned and shook Mr. Ackerman's hand and with a hasty goodbye to Father Dominic, I joined Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman as they headed home.  
  
When we got back to their house, Andy (as he had instructed me to call him) took me up to Susannah's room and told me that this was to be where I was to sleep. That it could be my room for the time being. He explained that it had been Susannah's room and I almost slipped up and told him that it had been my room at one time as well, but I caught myself. He told me that dinners were a necessity and that everyone had to attend at the specified time. I agreed and he left me to get acquainted with the room. Looking around Susannah's room again, brought the worst kind of ache in my chest. My heart felt as if somone were ripping it apart as I looked around and realized that the Ackerman's had not changed anything or moved anything around since Susannah had been gone. Everything was lying where it had been when she left, I had not touched anything when I had been a ghost, I had only observed her room....not touching anything. There were a few notebooks in the floor; her schoolbooks were on the window seat where I had been reading them....before she had left. I sat down lightly on her bed and looked around at my now....home. It felt strange that I would stay in Susannah's room and never see her beautiful face enter this room again. I got up and sat out all of the clothing that i had bought, and then laid back down on her bed, burying my face deep into the pillows....I could smell a faint trace of her shampoo as if she had just been laying here....I fell asleep, now realizing that I would never see my _querida_ again and it hurt worse than anything Paul Slater could do.

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Okay, there's Chapter 15....can you guess what Alea and Deni are planning? Oh well....more clues to come! :) Now that you've read...you know what to do! :) Chapter 16 is on the way next! :) 


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne, Adriaan, Alea and Denise are ours as well.

* * *

Okay...chapter 16 is now officially up. I hope you guys like this chapter....I think it has a few surprises in it...you'll just have to read it to see. :) And thank you SO much to all of my wonderful reviewers. You guys are awesome and I hope that you enjoy this chapter! :)

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Susannah's POV:  
  
"Geez, what was taking her SO long?!" I grumbled impatiently as I sat on the bed after a long day of training. Yes, you heard that right…I am training for my BIG fight with Paul that I am inevitably going to have. Now I know you think its crazy….probably damn near impossible to do….but you see….I've been training for days on end and reading that….indescribable book. If anything that book was as cryptic as Jesse. I groaned in frustration and grabbed the book again, intent on getting a heck of a lot stronger than Paul. You see, even though I'm strong….I'm nowhere nears as strong as Paul _probably_ is. I mean come on….he's had this book for _how_ long? And, he's had a chance to read it a lot more times than I have, which probably explains all his knowledge of mediators…shifters…things like that. Speaking of which, I hadn't seen a single ghost since Maria….which I still haven't been able to figure out. I mean were people just giving up on the whole "unfinished business" thing and going on or what?! And speaking of ghosts who have problems moving on, I hadn't seen Maria in God knows how long and it was really starting to annoy me. It kind of made me wonder if maybe she had just left instead of listening to me, either way I wanted to know what was up.  
  
"Maria!" I yelled….before I realized where I was and lowered my voice. "Maria!" I hissed. I saw a slight shimmer and then…there she was.  
  
"What do you want?" She grumbled.  
  
_Well someone must be PMSing._ I thought to myself silently, to her I said, "Where the hell have you been?!" I whispered angrily, teeth clenched.  
  
"What do you mean where have I been?" She looked at me hatefully. "I'm doing what you blackmailed me to do. I'm looking for you precious Hect….I mean Jesse." She spat.  
  
"Yea, well could you speed things up a bit or is that too much for you're little pea sized brain?" I hissed at her.  
  
Maria looked at me and, let me tell ya….if looks could kill I'd be in some serious trouble. I saw her hands clenched like she would hit me. I grinned. I knew she wouldn't hit me. Probably too afraid to break a nail.   
  
"What's so funny?" She mumbled.  
  
"Nothing." My face grew serious. "So?"  
  
"So what?" She looked at me, confused.  
  
"So what have you been doing?" I said, sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Have you found him?"   
  
"No."  
  
"Have you looked?"  
  
"Of course, I've looked. Your precious boy toy isn't that easy to find."  
  
I felt my face blush at the idea of Jesse being my boy toy….though…come to think of it….  
  
"Susannah!" Maria hissed.  
  
"What?!" I asked, irritated that she had brought me out of my good daydream.  
  
"Did you hear a word I said?" She sighed. "I told you that I shall go look for him again, but I'm not promising anything."   
  
"Okay." I said, grumpy. I slouched back onto my bed and heaved a huge sigh, watching as she disappeared an angry look apparent on her face.  
  
"Susan!" Someone yelled outside. Suddenly, that someone…Anne…pushed open my door and looked me squarely in the eye. "Who were you yelling at?" She eyed me suspiciously. "Who were you talking to?"  
  
I blinked and looked at her startled for a moment. "Huh?" Oh great choice of words. Real smart. Honestly, I think one of these days I am going to win the "_Dumb things said in a bad and getting worse situation_" award. I realized my mouth had opened and I closed it quickly. "What….what are you talking about Anne?" I gave her my most innocent look.  
  
"Don't pull that crap with me Susan….I know you were yelling at someone but I never saw anyone come in here. So unless you are sneaking people up through a two story window, _Rapunzel_….then you have A LOT of explaining to do." She stared at me, waiting for an answer.  
  
I searched around in my mind, trying to find a decent excuse, but coming up with nothing. So….I looked her square in the eye and whispered, "My voices."  
  
Anne stared at me in shock for a second before sitting down on my bed. "What voices?"  
  
"The voices in my head." I grinned. This was kind of fun and it would be the closest thing that she would **ever** get to the truth. "they talk to me. I just had an argument with one of them. A particularly nasty one at that."  
  
Anne just stared at me. "I think you need some serious help." Anne said, rushing out of the room.  
  
I shrugged my shoulders and looked around. "Well….you can't win 'em all." I sighed and took out the book to begin reading again. Suddenly, a burst of light came into my vision and I looked over to see Maria, who was obviously upset about something.  
  
"Susannah….something's happened."  
  
I looked over at her stunned. "What?" I whispered, hoping that Jesse was okay. "Is it Jesse? Did you find him?"   
  
Maria looked at me. "No, but I just know that something is wrong. Something is REALLY wrong." She shuddered slightly.  
  
"Maria?" I asked, warily.  
  
She shook her head. "Don't ask questions….just go." She looked at me and noticed that I wasn't moving. "Didn't you just hear me?!" She yelled. "GO!"  
  
I looked around the room. "How much time do I have?"  
  
"Not much."  
  
"Okay, you keep searching for Jesse, and I'm gonna get ready to go home." I looked at her. "Go." I stated firmly, as I began packing what little things I had quickly. I saw her leave and I turned my attention back to the book. I sure hoped I was ready.  
  
"Hurry Susannah. Jesse needs you." I heard someone say behind me. I turned around. "DAD?!"

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Okay, there's Chapter 16....finally a SUSANNAH'S pov! :) LOL. Alright, well.....I'm gonna go and edit chapter 17 for you guys. I promise to update soon! :) Don't forget to review! 


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne, Adriaan, Alea and Denise are ours as well.

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Hey guys! I am really sorry for not updating in a while, but the writer's block monster came after me and I finally got away from him by beating him in the head with my keyboard :) Nah, I'm just kidding. But seriously though, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There's not much too it...but...it does help with the overall view of the story. Okay, guys here's chapter 17...enjoy. :) I promise it's going to pick up very quickly now....and all of you that's been wanting Suze and Jesse to get back together ;) You'll see. (_evil laughter)_ :)

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Jesse's POV:  
  
Later that night, I made my way down to where the family would be eating dinner. They were already there. I grinned at them sheepishly and took my seat at the table. "I am very sorry."  
  
Don't worry about it, Jesse. you couldn't help it. This is a new place and we all know how exhausted people can get and how emotionally strained you probably are." Susannah's mother explained.  
  
"Thank you very much, Mrs. Ackerman."  
  
She just smiled sadly at me.  
  
"So." Andy began, as the family began to fill their plates full of food, after everyone was done, I would get some. "Where do you plan on working while you find a place to live?"  
  
I looked up at him, thinking deeply. "Well....I haven't really figured anything out yet." I explained, looking at Andy.  
  
"Well, may I make a suggestion then Jesse?"  
  
"Of course, Mr. Ackerman."  
  
"Andy...." He corrected me. "....And I think that you should come to work for me....then you would be getting paid and you'd be able to pull your weight and find a nice place to live." He concluded.  
  
"Yes, of course." I looked at the family with growing appreciation. The only thing that was missing from this perfect scene was my beautiful querida. The rest of the dinner was silence.

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Susannah's POV:  
  
"Daddy?" I looked at him with such surprise in my eyes that he looked at me startled.  
  
"Oh Susannah! I was so worried about you honey...I didn't know where you were...I couldn't find you!" He exclaimed, wrapping me tightly in his arms in a HUGE hug.   
  
I'm not kidding, it felt like he was squeezing me to death. But I didn't care.....   
  
"What happened?" He said, letting go of me and looking down.  
  
I had no choice but to tell him the story of what all had been going on since I had been kidnapped. When I was finished he looked at me strangely.   
  
"If I ever get my hands on that boy...."  
  
My eyes opened wide with shock. "No Dad....let me take care of him....I can kick his butt now..." Only I didn't say butt, if you know what I mean.  
  
"Susannah! I didn't raise you to say such language!" My father stated, but he was still looking at me, smiling and then he gave me a suspicious look. "Susannah, what are you planning?"  
  
"Nothing." I said, trying to look as innocent as I could be. Yeah, yeah...I know...you can stop laughing now.  
  
My father gave me a look but decided to drop the subject. "Just...be careful...okay?"  
  
"Okay, I promise I will be." I said and then my mind went back to what he'd said. "Um...Dad...what did you mean by 'Jesse needs me'?"   
  
My dad looked a little put out for a second before he looked back at me. "Well...honey...don't get too worried about this...but...Paul Slater is very angry at him. It seems that they got into a fight a few days ago and Jesse pulverized him." My father grinned and continued. "Now Paul is hell bent on getting back at Jesse...no matter what it takes...."  
  
My eyes went wide and I gulped and quickly sat down on my bed, feeling like my legs were going to give out on me. "So....Jesse is okay though right?" I asked, trying not to get too hysterical.  
  
"Yes, honey..." My father said, coming over to sit beside me on the bed. "But....Susannah....he won't be for much longer...unless you hurry back and help him." He said, looking at me seriously.  
  
I looked over at my father and nodded and then started getting my things together quicker. I grabbed the book that was laying beside my bedside table and noticed that my father was still there. "Was there anything else Dad?"  
  
"Yes honey..." He got up and looked at me....grinning. "If you get to Jesse in time...and you defeat Paul...I think you will be very surprised." He said, giving me a strange look.  
  
I looked over at him. "Cryptic much?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.  
  
"Honey...just trust me....I think this will make you very happy." He said, before disappearing and leaving me to pack.

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Okay, there's Chapter 17....Alright, well.....I'm gonna go and edit chapter 18 for you guys. I promise to update soon! :) Don't forget to review! 


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne, Adriaan, Alea and Denise are ours as well.

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Okay, so I wasn't really gonna update this next chapter until tomorrow...but...since I got so many reviews...in so little time....I have decided that I am going to give you the next chapter now. :) Aren't I great!? Nah, I'm just kidding. Actually, I'm kind of behind....but that's okay...it's a good thing that I already have this chapter planned out right? Okay, here goes nothing....hope you like :) Thanks for the reviews you guys are SO awesome

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**David's POV** : (before dinner)  
  
Okay, so here was this perfect stranger and my dad and stepmom are inviting him into the house to stay? Something's not right. What's going on? I need to find out. I need to find out before dinner. I need to find out NOW.  
  
I walked from my room to Susannah's....I mean....to this stranger's room....and raised my hand to knock on the door, but just as I did this, dad's voice announced dinner. Groaning heavily, I turned around and followed the stampede my brother's created, going down the stairs.  
  
He walked down the stairs a little while after everyone else and was the last person to come down to dinner. My father began asking him about his room and how he liked it and what type of job he would like to get to help support himself. Then he mentioned his name. Jesse. That sounded strangely familiar, but I dismissed it and continued eating. Then he spoke. My heart did a backflip as I realized who it sounded like. It sounded like the ghost that had asked me to help Susannah at the mission that time. Hector de Silva? No, it couldn't be. Could it?   
  
**Jesse's POV** :  
  
The dinner was delicious. I cannot believe how good food tasted after being dead for over a century and a half. However, I could not seem to eat very much. It seemed that after just a few bites my stomach clenched with pain and I had to stop.  
  
During the meal, I became increasingly nervous as David stared directly at me and my strange eating habits.  
  
I tried to ignore it, but he never took his eyes away from mine all through dinner. Andy noticed the awkwardness growing around the table....especially between David and I.  
  
While we were eating, I looked up at scarcely as I could. Each time I chanced a look around the table, I noticed one or another pair of eyes staring at me. I felt like such an _idiota_.  
  
The dinner finally concluded and I was able to retreat to the quiet solitude of mi querida's room. As I got up I thanked Mr. Ackerman and commented on the excellent dinner he prepared.   
  
"Thank you Jesse. That's extremely nice of you." He smiled. "Would you like to sit down and watch some t.v. with us?"  
  
I didn't want to sound rude but as I barely knew what "tv" was, I didn't want to embarrass myself with nonsense I barely understood. "No thank you, Mr. Ackerman. It was a truly delicious meal and I thank you for your quite generous hospitality but I do wish to retire for the night. I am extremely tired."   
  
He looked at me for a moment before finally seeming to agree with me. "Oh well... Good night. Remember, you must get up early enough tomorrow so that you can start work." He grinned.  
  
I grinned and tilted my head to his family and himself, turned around, and wearily climbed the stairs to Susannah's room. I didn't hear footsteps behind me until I reached the top of the stairs.  
  
"Hec...Hector?"  
  
I turned around startled.  
  
David noticed my expression and grinned. "I knew it was you!" He pumped his fists in the air. He seemed to remember something suddenly and gasped.  
  
"What?" I asked, as he began backing away from me.  
  
"I thought you were a....a...a...g..ghost..." His expression blanched and the color seemed to creep right from his skin. He slowly backed away from me, his apparent excitement now hidden behind his immenint fear.  
  
I consoled him as best as I could. "Yes, I was a ghost, but everything has changed." I smiled. "I am no longer...d...dead..." I sighed. "I am alive."  
  
His expression turned from fear to curiousity in a matter of minutes. "But...how...."  
  
I interrupted his stumbling with words. "I do not know. All I know is that now I can look for my querida more than I could when I was....d...incapable of doing so." I sighed, I wasn't even dead anymore and I still couldn't bring myself to say the word.  
  
He looked up at me confused, his voice barely a whisper. "How?"  
  
I looked at the little boy sadly. Tears now appearing in his eyes, though you could tell he was desperately trying to hide them. I ruffled his hair slightly, which made him look up at me questioningly. "I do not know David, I do not know."  
  
He walked back down the stairs, giving me one final look and I went into Susannah's....my....our...bedroom and sat, pondering in an eerie silence. I sat staring out at the ocean for quite some time, thinking about Susannah. I could not help it.   
  
I thought of her so often that it frightened me, but I kenw that she is still out there, waiting for me. I watched the sun set and inwardly sighed. "_Buenos noches querida, donde quiera que estes. Con tu adios te llevas mi corazon._" (a/n : translation : "Goodnight sweetheart, wherever you are. With your farewell you take with you my heart.")

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How do you like those apples and oranges :) I hope that you enjoyed that chapter and I am currently working on Chapter 19 for you guys! I hope that you liked this chapter and now that you've read it...you can review. By the way....speaking of reviewing :  
  
**meghan** : Thanks, I'm glad you like this story. Yep, writer's block sucks! :)  
  
**SusannahDeSilva132 **: I hope this is a quick enough update for you! :) And don't worry Susannah will find out that Jesse is alive soon! And believe me, you don't wanna miss that! :)  
  
**Allimba** : Thanks!  
  
**SweetestReject** : Yeah, I know....I liked the cryptic Dad ;)  
  
To all of the other reviewers, you guys rock! I hope you keep reviewing and right now....REVIEW! :) Alright, gotta go edit chapter 19. See ya there. :) 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne, Adriaan, Alea and Denise are ours as well.

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Alright guys...I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY!!!! Please forgive your striving writer for not updating as quickly as she said she would...she is very sorry. She being me of course. LOL. No guys seriously, I really am sorry...but guess what....to make it up to you guys I am going to update 2...not 1...but 2...chapters today. YAY! Go me right? Okay well...and by the way....I have the rest of the story finished so....be ready :) Here we go....

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Jesse's POV:  
  
My emotions were running so very high after that dinner that I did not know what to do…so I decided that I would go for a walk….try to clear my thoughts a bit. I sighed and went down the stairs and went to open the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" A voice asked.  
  
I looked over at Susannah's mother and sighed. "I decided that since it was such a beautiful night, that I would go walking for a bit. Acquaint myself with Carmel, California." I said, smiling…though I did not feel like smiling.  
  
Susannah's mother smiled. "Okay dear…just be back soon." She said softly.  
  
I smiled and then quietly walked out of the door and into my own world of thoughts and emotions that were tearing me slowly apart.  
  
Susannah's POV:  
  
I'd finished packing and decided that I couldn't even wait till tomorrow…even though it was sundown…I had to go…NOW. I didn't know what dad had meant when he said what he did about Jesse….but I really wanted to find out. I finished getting my things together and went down the stairs to say good-bye to everyone, although I don't think that Anne wanted to talk to me anymore. I grinned at the thought of what I'd told her and laughed as I went down the stairs quickly.  
  
I saw Anne sitting in a booth beside the window and sighed and made my way over to her. "Hey Anne." I said softly, scooting into the other side of the booth across from her.  
  
She nearly jumped out of her chair when she saw me. "Susan….get away from me…." She said, eyes wide.  
  
I looked at her and laughed. "Susan…come on…I was just kidding." I said, laughing at her.  
  
"No…I heard you talking to someone….and I…I…think…that I heard someone talking back." She said, her eyes wide and bloodshot.  
  
I looked at her suspiciously. "Have you been crying?" I asked, looking at her.  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh okay." I said, shrugging my shoulders, just curious. I sighed and looked at her. I'd never told anyone my secret before…and didn't intend on starting with her. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving tonight…I received news that…someone I care about very much…." I grinned, that was the understatement of the century, "….is in trouble and I need to go help them." I said, getting up. "I just wanted to thank you for everything Anne….you've been a great help to me and you've helped me out a lot. You took a chance on a stranger….that was VERY cool." I said, trying to sound reassuring…instead I just wanted to leave and find Jesse…wherever he was.  
  
Anne looked up at me with wide eyes and then…suddenly…a smile spread across her face. "Thanks." She said, but she didn't get up or anything. Nope, she just stayed right where she was….staring at me.  
  
"Thanks Anne." I said and then I turned around and went into the kitchen and found Adriaan.  
  
"Hey babe!" Adriaan grinned and waved at me.  
  
I smiled and shook my head and laughed at him. "Hey….Adriaan." I said, laughing. "I just wanted to come and tell you that I'm leaving."  
  
He looked at me sadly. Wait…sadly? Um…okay…definitely not something I was used to anymore. "Really…you're leaving? Why?" He asked, wiping his hands on a dish towel and pulling a chair up to sit down.  
  
"Well…because…." I decided to give him the same story that I'd given Anne…which wasn't exactly a lie either. "….because someone I really care about is in trouble back home….and I need to go help him." I said, smiling sadly.  
  
Adriaan looked at me with one of those darned unreadable expressions. What was it with guys and unreadable expressions. Was it something that you were taught in school? Did they pull guys out of classrooms and put them in separate ones and teach them how to do these things? I sighed and watched him as he got up and put the chair back. Then he came over and stuck his hand out to me. "Well…it's been a blast." He said, grinning. "Come back and visit us sometime." He said grinning.  
  
I laughed and shook his hand. "Sure…sometime." I said, grinning, though inside I was shaking like a leaf. I didn't know if I would even make it out of the fight with Paul…should he cross my path. I sighed and then after telling Adriaan good-bye one final time, I walked out of the kitchen and back up to my room…to await word from Maria. As much as I….wanted…to. Yeah…and with that…note the sarcasm.  
  
Paul's POV:  
  
Each step I take seems to bring some type of agony due to the injuries I sustained from the cowboy. Currently, I have taken to walking down the streets of Carmel in hopes that I would bump into Mr. de Silva. I smile smugly at this thought and continue walking.  
  
"Boss! BOSS!" Someone yelled behind me.  
  
I looked back. Bob is running quickly towards me and let me tell you that is a really….interesting sight to see. I turned around and waited until he caught up with me before I continued walking. The only reason he hasn't materialized in front of me yet is because I've told him to not do that since my little incident with de Silva, because if he did, I would do some serious damage.  
  
"Boss."  
  
"What?!" I asked exasperatedly.  
  
"I just wanted to tell you that…." He stopped to catch his breath.  
  
During his silence I calmly put my hand into my pocket and felt the cold metal of the knife I had recently bought in case…well, never mind. I pulled it out and began playing with it.  
  
"de….de….de Silva….is walking through town right now. I'm sure you could…um…get some good use out of that knife now….."  
  
My eyes snapped open wide at the mention of de Silva's name. "Where?"  
  
"About a quarter of a mile away right now."  
  
I grinned smugly and started flipping the knife in my two front fingers. So, de Silva is coming this way? Perfect, I'll be waiting.  
  
….And I didn't have to wait long. As it turns out, Bob hadn't been as correct as he usually had been. De Silva had only been a few feet away just as Bob had been telling me everything that was going on with de Silva. I quietly slipped behind some boxes that lay stashed in a alleyway off of the street. De Silva began walking towards the alleyway, intent on going past it and entering into another section of town. I wouldn't let him get that far. He would pay. He would pay dearly for everything.  
  
He walked past the alleyway and just as quickly I jumped behind him and tackled him to the ground. He was knocked senseless from the impact of the ground for a second before he jumped up and turned around swiftly.  
  
"Slater!?? _Tu asno_!"  
  
Though that's not all he said, let me assure you. But I won't mention them as they were…really quite horrible and long…and also because I don't even know a single WORD of Spanish.  
  
I grinned at the obvious discomfort he was already feeling. Anger seethed through me to the point where all I wanted was revenge. If it took killing de Silva to squelch that emotion, I'd do it. Anything it took. I drew back a fist and thrust it hard into de Silva's face….He didn't budge…. Oh shit.

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Okay...chapter 19 is now officially up. I hope you guys like this chapter.... Thank you SO much to all of my wonderful reviewers that has kept up with this story for so long...even through my seemingly endless weeks of writer's block. You guys are awesome and I hope that you enjoy this chapter! Stay with me....it's going to get good :) :) 


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne, Adriaan, Alea and Denise are ours as well.

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Here's your next chapter! :) I promised didn't I? :)

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Jesse's POV:  
  
I stared in disbelief at this little idiot. Hadn't I taught him a lesson about this a little while ago?"  
  
"What, don't have the nerve to hit back, de Silva?" Paul grinned smugly.  
  
It was that grin that did it. I thrust a fist hard into his face. He fell to the ground, sputtering incoherently through the thick blood that was now covering his face.  
  
"Shit de Silva! How many more times do you plan on breaking my nose?!" He asked the question almost to himself, but I heard it.  
  
"As long as you continue to start fights with me Slater." I sneered, turning to walk away. Bad idea.  
  
"Oh really de Silva, who am I supposed to fight after you're gone? Cause the way I see it, your new found life is gonna be over pretty soon."  
  
I turned around as I heard him get up from the ground and caught a glimmer of something very shiny in his hand. I had no time to react as I felt the sharp blade of the knife puncture my side. I felt Paul push the knife in hard and quickly pull it out.  
  
"Slater, what have you done?!" I growled, putting my hand to my side, where the pain was becoming so immense that I was seeing double of Slater.  
  
"Now…." He put his hand to his head cockily, "Didn't I just tell you that your life was going to be over pretty soon?" He smiled cockily and wiped the knife blade on the pants that I had on. Just then we heard a small popping noise and both of us looked over at the same time. Seeing no one, Slater waved good-bye to me and began walking away.  
  
I groaned and then my eyes went wide at the realization that hit me. If I didn't stop the bleeding soon….I was going to die…again.

Maria's POV:  
  
After Susannah and I's little….spat….I carelessly began materializing and dematerializing in different places in Caramel just to say that I had looked for Hector. Suddenly, I noticed an unusually large feeling of spectral energy coming from a few streets away from me. Curious, I dematerialized and rematerialized to that street. I gasped at what I saw. Paul and Hector…fighting…again. Surprise, surprise. Then I noticed that Paul had a knife placed in his hand and was about to go after Hector with it. My eyes went considerably wide and I quickly dematerialized and rematerialized in Susannah's room.  
  
"Susannah!" I gasped out.  
  
Susannah got up from where she'd been sitting on the bed and crossed over to me and grabbed me by my dress collar and held me there. "What's wrong Maria. TELL ME." She yelled at me.  
  
I looked at her stunned for a second and then shoved her away from me. "Your Hector….is going to die if you do not hurry and get to him quickly." I said simply. In fact, I thought she'd already known that little detail. Well…not from the way she took it. She didn't know at all.

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Okay...chapter 20 is now officially up. I hope you guys like this chapter.... Thank you SO much to all of my wonderful reviewers that has kept up with this story for so long...even through my seemingly endless weeks of writer's block. You guys are awesome and I hope that you enjoy this chapter! :) Now you know what to do and review! :) 


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer : Once again, the great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything! Well, almost. The plot line is my friend and my idea and the characters of Anne, Adriaan, Alea and Denise are ours as well.

* * *

Sorry for the long absence of posts, but I am afraid to say that my dumb stupid butthole of a computer has crashed once again. I do not know when I will be able to get it fixed but I hope it will be soon. Anyway, as I know that you are all just DYING to see what happens I am typing this up at the co-writer's house and on her computer so that you can have your post. ;) Okay, I am going to quit babbling and let you read this "wonderful" chapter :) Have fun!!!!

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**Susannah's** **POV:**

I only had one thought running through my mind. "Oh my God! He's ALIVE?!" I managed to gasp out. Holy crap...this was like the best news ever....and then I thought about what else Maria had said and I screamed out. "We have to help him."

Maria looked at me stupidly. "WE? Have to help him. No, no, no....Susannah...YOU have to help him. My job is done." She said, evilly.

I looked at her and wanted to beat the crap out of her right then...but she had helped me and as badly as I wanted to hurt her...I knew I didn't have time....maybe later. I grinned and then grabbed my things and was out the door before she could even tell me where he was.

"Susannah!" She yelled at me.

I looked back.

"He's about 2 streets away from your house!" She yelled out again.

I took a huge breath and then ran out the door of the diner and jumped on someone's bike. I didn't care that I was stealing it. I didn't see the owner's and what they didn't know didn't hurt them, right? I hurriedly pumped my legs as fast as I could. Then I threw on the brakes quickly and heard the tires of the bike squeal against the road. "MARIA!" I yelled out.

She materialized in front of me a couple of seconds later. "WHAT?!" She hissed.

"I need you to find Paul for me and stall him...bring him to where Jesse is now....tell him Susannah is waiting for him." I said hurriedly.

Maria shook her head. "Hell no. I most certainly will not help you anymore."

I looked at her. "If you don't help me I swear I'm not going to let you go back to Diego....I'll make you suffer here and I will make sure to torture the shit out of you until you go slowly insane and your brain turns into mush." I said, evilly, my face completely serious.

Oh my goodness you should have seen the look on her face, because just as quickly she had dematerialized with a huff and said that she would most assuredly help me and find Paul. I laughed and continued on my way to find Jesse.

**Jesse's POV:**

I can feel my heart beating slower and less steadier than before as the blood seeps from my wound. I can not help but think of how I have let down David and Susannah's family. But more importantly I have let down my querida. I do not know if I will die and become a ghost again....or if I will die and move on. I hope...that for mi amor's sake...that I will become a ghost once more and then I may be able to continue my search. But....if mi querida is gone...then I'd rather move on....it would not be worth it to stay here without her here. My heart is already broken I do not need for it to be completely crushed to pieces. As I sit here thinking these final thoughts, I can feel myself starting to fall into an eternal sleep and I can see my vision going hazy. And I feel so cold. Like someone has thrown me into an icy lake. Suddenly, a bright light surrounds me and I look around dejectedly...knowing that I have failed mi querida, mi amor, mi corazon....

"Jesse...."

A voice calls my name but I do not know who it is. I look around and see no one. "Who is there?' That is when I notice that I am no longer in the street, but I am standing in an empty white room. Curiously I look around and still see no one. "HELLO?!" I ask loudly. All I hear is my own voice echoing back to me. I sigh and sit down.

"Jesse...."

"Who is it?!" I ask angrily, looking around. Then someone appears....a familiar someone....with bright blonde hair and blue eyes. I look harder and notice that it is the woman from the clothing store. "What...how????" I start to ask...but she interrupts me.

"Jesse, do not ask. All I can tell you...I will tell you now." She sighed. "My name is Alea...short for Aleandra." She looked at me, sadly. "And this is mi amiga Deni...short for Denise." She said, pointing to someone at her side.

I look again and notice the same girl that I had bumped into that day when I'd first met Alea. "I do not understand."

**Alea's POV:**

"Calm yourself Jesse, please." I turned from him and looked at Deni. "I can't believe we screwed this up again." I sighed angrily, running a hand through my hair.

"Relax Ali...seriously. Just calm down....maybe we can fix it. After all...." She looked at me and whispered. "Susannah is already on her way....so everything will be alright...hopefully."

"Yeah but what if she doesn't get to him in time...you and I both know what happens to both him and us." I said, thinking hard about what would happen. If Susannah didn't get to Jesse's body in time, then he would cease to exist and it would be like he was never here....and if that happened, then we would loose the title of what we were and become human....a scary thought for us let me tell ya. I looked at Deni and sighed.

"Excuse me?" I heard a voice ask from behind me. "Where am I, exactly?"

I looked back at Jesse. "Jesse...you are in a....room...that is all we can tell you." I said, mystically. I saw Deni roll her eyes at me and I stuck my tongue out at her.

Jesse looked at me and nodded. "Okay...so...I remember you girls, but...what are you? Who are you?" He asked curiously and with that hot latino accent. Good gosh he was so cute. I sighed and then slapped myself mentally and looked at him. Then me and Deni went over and sat on each side of him and looked at him. I guess I was in charge of telling him everything. I sighed and began.

"Jesse...we...me and Deni....are you and Susannah's guardian angels...." I said, somewhat unsurely. "We have a tendancy to.....get into trouble....sometimes and the price we pay....is usually something bad happening to you and Susannah." I stopped and let him absorb that all in.

He looked at me startled, before starting to curse in Spanish.

"Jesse, please....stop." I said, tiredly. I had expected that. "The reason why we get into trouble...is because...well...we like to meddle with fate quite a bit...and...we're really not supposed to...but you and Susannah...well...you don't give us much choice. You're always beating around the bush and trying to get to each other...but....you never make any moves. It's actually quite sad to watch..." I said, looking out into space.

'Alea...we don't have much time' I heard a voice in my head and looked over at Deni...knowing that she was doing it.

'I know.... I know....' I thought, sending the message to her. I looked at Jesse again and smiled, he by the way, was looking quite agitated with me at the moment and had gotten up and started pacing...muttering in Spanish. I only caught bits and pieces of what he was saying, but it sounded suspiciously like... "Stupid girl...trying to mess with Susannah's and I relationship...how dare they...they only make things worse...idiots..."

"Hey! I can understand Spanish you know!" I said, somewhat irritated with the hot latino male in front of me.

"_Lo siento_." He said, distractedly. "Sorry." He said, as he sat back down and looked at us.

"Listen Jesse, we're trying to help you out now, by sustaining your life a little longer....hopefully someone will come by and see you or save you...." I said, sounding unhopeful. But he nodded in understanding just the same.

"Okay..." He said slowly. "I understand."

"good." I said, "Because...we're going to have to send you back now....and you must stay awake and you have to try and stay alive....because if you do....hopefully...." Deni put a hand over my mouth quickly and shook her head.

'Well...never mind." I said, grinning before making everything disappear and making Jesse go back into his hurt and dying body. I sighed and looked over at Deni. "I just hope that he'll be okay until Susannah....gets here....if she ever does...where is that girl....she's so slow." I said, gritting my teeth angrily.

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Aight, there ya have it, Chapter 21! WooHOO!!!! By the way, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! :) ;) OH and also.....MEDIATOR : TWILIGHT COMES OUT DECEMBER 28th!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!! Okay, I will quit my psychotic babbling for a while so until next time....adios! :) 


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer : You know the drill. The great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything. I own the plotline and a few of the characters.

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Okay guys....you are gonna love me for this....I hope. :) We are getting DANGEROUSLY close to the end of this particular story. :( But I have to tell you...it's been a blast writing this story and expect the last chapters to be coming out the end of this month. :) Okay, now enjoy this particular chapter. You won't be sorry. :)

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**Paul's POV:**

I was sitting on my bed gloating over the fact that de Silva was laying in the street dying when a flash of light appeared to my left. I looked over and grinned as I saw Maria.   
"Well, well, well, if it isn't little miss Maria. How have you been?" I asked as I stretched out on my bed and put my hands behind my head. 

"Shut up Paul!" She hissed. 

I grinned. "Wow….TOUCHY." I laughed. "What is it PMS?" I asked grinning lazily.   
Maria shot me a death glare….or as much of one as she could. 

"Is that supposed to scare me?" I laughed. "Maria….honey….don't even try, you are nothing but a piece of trash to me that does my bidding whenever I tell it to." I said laughing. 

"I hate you Paul." She said. 

"I know. So, what did you want Maria?" "Susannah is waiting for you." She said. 

"What!" My eyes widened and I jumped up. "Susannah? Where?" Maria grinned. "2 streets from her house." She said evilly before disappearing completely. 

I jumped up and grabbed my coat quickly and ran out the door. MY Susannah was back….and she wanted to see ME!! I got in my car and speed off, eagerly anticipating my joyful reunion with her I knew she'd come to her senses.

**Susannah's POV**:

I pedaled as fast as my feet could go and found myself two streets away from my house. I skidded the bike to a stop and stood there, knowing that I was getting ready to see Jesse now in just any second and he would be….ALIVE!!!! I certainly never thought would have been possible. Just think MY Jesse….ALIVE!!!! I smiled at the thought but then suddenly stopped….ALIVE….Jesse, IN TROUBLE. My eyes widened and I started running down the street until I saw someone laying on the ground. That someone being the love of my life. I ran faster.

**Jesse's POV:**

I kept feeling myself go in and out of consciousness. I kept hearing sounds around me. Like of people talking, but when I would look up, I found no one. "I am so sorry querida." I whispered. "I am so sorry that I failed you." I said, then I felt myself slipping from consciousness. Just then I heard someone running. I heard the panting of breath. I looked up and saw someone running down the street towards me. I smiled and tried to get up or wave, anything to get the person to me quicker. I wish that I could see the person more clearly. I blink and try to focus on the person's face but it comes out as a blurry shadow. I sigh sadly and try to speak, but just then my sight turns black and my head falls to the concrete and I know no more.

**Susannah's POV:**

I saw Jesse. He was laying on the ground, blood pooling around him. I gasped as I saw this and dropped to my knees beside of him. "Oh please be okay!" I whispered as I looked down at him. He seemed to be unconscious and I looked him over to make sure there were no other injuries and noticed a huge knot on the back of his head. Right away I knew that when he'd blacked out, his head had hit the concrete too hard. I shook with fear as I looked around in desperation of what to do. 

"Well, well, well…" I heard, just before strong arms wrapped around me to hold me in place. I knew who it was and now knew what had happened to Jesse or more WHO had happened to him. 

"Paul." I hissed through gritted teeth. 

"Oh, I'm so happy that you remember me baby." He grinned and I felt him lean down so that I could feel his breath on my neck. "You just couldn't stay away from me, could you?" He asked, a smirk on his face. 

I struggled to get out of his grip but he wouldn't let me go. "Paul…let me go." I hissed as I struggled more. Paul laughed. "What, don't like being this close to me Suzie?" He asked, smiling. "Well I know at least one time that you didn't push away from me." He said as he let me loose. 

I jerked out of his grasp and then spun around and looked at him. "I don't have time to play around with you Paul. Just leave me the hell alone." I said angrily. Okay I admit, I was scared. No…I take that back. Scared wasn't the word. There was no word that could describe what I was feeling right then. I mean, the love of my life was laying on the ground, seemingly lifeless and here Paul was trying to start something that he had no business even trying to start. "Oo…feisty." He said, smiling arrogantly as if he didn't have a care in the world. He grabbed me by the arm and then pulled me towards him so quickly that I didn't even know what had happened until I felt his arms tight around my waist. "What's the matter Suze?" He smirked. I tried to look back at Jesse to see if he was awake or if he was still in that lifeless looking state but before I could even get a good look at him, Paul had jerked my attention back to him…..literally. My head hurt very badly from where he had jerked it back to look at him and I guess my face told him so as he smiled more. "Oh I'm sorry Suze, please forgive me I didn't mean to hurt you." He said. "Here let me fix it." He smirked and then leaned down and proceeded to kiss my neck, which I didn't find in the least very gratifying. In fact, I just wanted to beat the living shit out of him right then. 

"Paul, leave me alone!" I said forcibly as I twisted my body and kicked him as hard as I could in the groin. Let me tell ya, that got him off of me really quick. In fact, he was down on the ground in a matter of seconds. I laughed. "Oh come on Paul….its not as if you have anything there to hurt anyway." I shrugged and then proceeded to go back over to Jesse and checked his pulse, which was minimal and barely there….but at least it was there. I took in a deep breath, my heart was pounding in my chest. I didn't want to loose him….not again. Suddenly, I was picked up with a huge amount of force and thrown to the ground, hitting my head hard on the concrete sidewalk that lined the street we were in. I looked up at Paul who was standing over me, looking like he was ready to get rid of me once and for all. And….I can kind of see why. Not that I was going to let him of course. I jumped up quickly, which was probably a bad thing to do as it seemed like little blue lights were going around and around in front of my eyes and I had to hold my head to try and stop the spinning that the world seemed to be doing. 

"Tisk tisk tisk, Susannah." Paul said and I couldn't help but laugh because his voice was high pitched and he still looked to be in a variable amount of pain. But boy I wasn't laughing a second later when he had me pinned up against the wall without even touching me. "Paul….what the hell are you doing?" I asked angrily as I tried to get away from whatever type of force field he had on me. 

Paul grinned. "Why I'm surprised at you Susannah, I would have thought that you'd know what I'm doing since you stole my book and read it. What's the matter? You didn't study?" He asked me as he walked closer and closer to the spot where he had me pinned. I shook my head. I couldn't say anything. I couldn't deny it. He'd know that I was lying. I looked up at the sky and then looked at him. I couldn't move. I couldn't protect myself. Now was the time I really wished that my father was around. He would help me. At least I would like to think he would. I watched as Paul came closer and closer and I shut my eyes to what I knew was going to hurt.

**Alea's POV:**

"Move it Deni!" I yelled as we made our way to Susannah and Jesse. We knew they were both in trouble and that they needed help. Hopefully we could protect them all we could when we got there. When we got there we saw that Jesse was unconscious and losing a lot of blood and Susannah was getting ready to get crushed by Paul….or worse. Without thinking I ran over and aided her as much as I could by giving her as much strength as I could give and I hoped that she would use it to get the force field or whatever Paul was doing to her….off. Then I looked at Deni. "Go help Jesse as much as you can. I'll help Susannah." Deni smiled and nodded and quickly went about to looking after Jesse. I shook my head and grinned. She was doing what every girl wanted to do. She was living a dream.

**Susannah's POV:**

And just as suddenly….Paul was off of me. The barrier holding me had been removed and I was just standing there watching as Paul…surprisingly….hung in mid air. He was looking at me with wide eyes as if he didn't know what was going on either. And then I saw them. And what I saw shocked the hell out of me. My father and….Maria….fighting against Paul….fighting….for me. My father smiled as he looked at me and then resumed going after Paul. They had picked him up with their ghostly powers or something and were now repetitively slamming him against brick walls and concrete. It actually looked like it hurt….I kind of felt bad for him. NOT. 

Then I saw something strange. A bright glowing white light that stood in form of a person gliding up towards Paul. Curiously I walked towards them to get a closer look but just as quickly found a force blocking my way. Biker Bob. I sighed and shook my head. "Dude…don't you ever give up?" I asked as I brought my leg up and kicked him hard in the shin, which in turn made him fall to the ground for a second. But that second was enough from me. I quickly brought my knee up hard and hit him quickly in the face hard enough to bring blood and to hear a few bones crunching….much to my satisfaction. Seems that just those broken bones was all it took to get Biker Bob out of my way. Because just as quickly he dematerialized into thin air….which made me feel a whole heck of a lot better about my chances in winning this little fight let me tell ya. As I turned around to go back to the main fight…with the spawn of Satan….I was surprised to find that a very bloody Paul had ended up landing right in front of me on the hard pavement of the street. I grinned. "Had enough Paul?" I smirked. 

Paul looked at me evilly and shakily stood up. "You haven't even seen the half of it Suze. You think you've won something. But you really haven't. I know what you really think and feel. I know you Suze. You like me and you don't want me to get hurt. Or else you would be pounding my face into the concrete right now. Admit it Suze…you like me." He said. 

I put on the pretense of thinking for a minute before grinning as I looked at him. "Your right Paul. You do know what I think and feel pretty well. As a matter of fact….you pretty much just predicted your own future right there." I said smirking as I punched him right in the face, sending him backward a little bit, but he kept his balance…which was surprising, considering the bashing he'd already taken before me. I smirked and went to hit him again, when suddenly he grabbed my hand in mid swing and twisted it backwards, causing muscles and bones that I did not even know I had to bend in ways that they definitely WEREN'T supposed to bend. I gathered up as much strength as I could muster and pulled my hand hard out of his grip and sent it flying right into his gut….HARD. Which had the desired effect that I had been looking for. He doubled over and fell to the ground, looking up at me, trying to get his breath back….which he wasn't being very successful. I laughed at him. "Come on Paul. I thought the spawn of Satan would be stronger than that." I said tauntingly. Paul looked up at me with a surprisingly arrogant grin which kind of made me nervous because I didn't know what he was grinning at, you know? So there I was standing there and Paul was kind of….well scaring the hell out of me. "What in the heck are you smiling at Paul? You lost. Go away. Leave us all alone." I said, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice. Paul just grinned. "Susannah, Susannah, Susannah. When are you going to realize that you will never get rid of me? I'll always be there. Even if you succeed in driving me away from you now….you'll always be looking over your shoulder, wondering where I am." He laughed evilly. "You can't get rid of me." He said. I shook my head in disgust and had the urge to back up a little but didn't. "Get the hell out of my town Paul." I said bitterly. "Hmmm….how about….no?" He said smirking. 

I knew what he was doing. He was trying to psyche me out. Trying to make me admit that I was scared of him. Trying to make me give him more ammunition to torture me. I shook my head. It wasn't gonna happen and I just started kicking the shit out of him. Trying my best to get him away from me…. It was scary…but at that point….I wanted to kill him. I completely let loose on him. Trying to hurt him….just like he'd hurt Jesse. So I kept going after him. I kicked him, hit him, anything I could do to him. By the time my father pulled me off of him, his face was so bloody that you could barely see the natural color of his skin and almost unconscious. 

"Get the hell out of my town Paul….and don't come back." I hissed, spitting in his face as I walked away from him and towards where Jesse's body lay.

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Alright there's that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it :) I decided to put a nice little cliffhanger in there...so....I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Toodles. :) Look for the next chapter soon! And I would just like to thank everyone who has reviewed. You guys have stuck through this story with me through thick and thin and when the computer crashed on me and everything. You reviewers are TRULY amazing. Thanks for sticking with it. The end is soon....so keep reading and reviewing. I promise...you won't be disappointed...at least....I hope not. ;) :) 


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer : You know the drill. The great and wonderful Meg Cabot owns everything. I own the plotline and a few of the characters.

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IT'S MY BIRTHDAY !!!!! NOVEMBER 24th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M 18!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way :) blushes

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Okay guys....you are gonna love me for this....I hope. :) We are at the end of this story and I am almost sad to say that. I've had a blast writing this and getting the reviews from you guys. YOU guys were AMAZING! I couldn't have asked for better people to read this story and I hope that you continue to read any 'fics that I put up from now on. I hope that I have proved my writing talents. :) Anyway, since this is the end...all I have to say is.....Buenos Noches :)

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**Jesse's POV:**

I awoke to the sound of something beeping and to such bright lighting that I had to close my eyes for a minute or two to get adjusted to where I was. When I opened my eyes again, I looked around solemnly. All I could see were white walls and a vase of flowers beside my bed. Curiously, I went to sit up and see who they were from and then just as quickly hissed in pain and lay myself back down. I looked down and saw that my whole torso was wrapped in a huge white bandage. A woman dressed in some type of white uniform came in and smiled as she saw that I was awake.

"Well hello dear, glad to see that you decided to join us back in the land of the living." She grinned at me and then opened the curtains that covered a window on the other side of the room. Then she came and stood beside of me. "Do you feel a little bit better?" She asked curiously.

I did not ask what she meant. "Yes ma'am. Very much. Gracias." I said softly as I eased myself up into a sitting position. "If you do not mind, I have a question to ask."

"You go right ahead sweetie."

"Where exactly am I?" I asked curiously.

"Why dear, your in the hospital." She said chuckling a bit. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that you'd never seen a hospital before." She said laughing slightly as she unhooked a few of the things that had been hooked up to me.

I looked at her and sighed slightly. "It has been a long time." I said. If only she knew just how long it actually was. The last time I had been in the hospital….or in a clinic at all….was for the dog bite that I had acquired above my right eye. I sat there thinking about all of these events and of the past events and listening to the nurse as she rambled on about different things, all the while holding my head in my hands, trying to make the headache that had now appeared, go away.

"Anyway dear, I just don't think that you would be here without the help of that dear little girl that brought you in here in the first place. I really don't think you would have survived the night had she not been there." The nurse stopped and looked at me as she seen that my interest had been raised by what she was talking about. "Yes yes, that little girl…you know…come to think of it…she looked an awful lot like that little Simon kid that's on all of them 'Missing' posters…."

I stopped her at this and my gaze shot up quickly to her face. "I am sorry to interrupt you miss but did you say "Simon" kid?" I asked, not daring to let myself hope for what I wanted to be true.

"Yes child yes." She said grinning a big toothy grin. "That little girl looked an awful lot like…..what was her name now? Let me see now…." I interrupted her again.

"SUSANNAH?!" I asked anxiously.

"Yes, dear. That was her name." She stopped and thought for a minute or two. "Susannah Simon. Sad what happened to that poor little girl…."

But I did not listen to her any longer as I jumped up out of the hospital bed and ran out the door of my room, the nurse trying to get me back into the room the whole way. However when I was outside of my room I was stopped as Mr. Ackerman jumped up from his chair as he saw me…the whole Ackerman family sat there staring at me and I wondered why.

"Jesse! What are you doing out of your room? The doctor hasn't even said that it was okay for you to go home yet." He said.

I shook my head. "But Mr. Ackerman. You do not understand. Susannah…she…." Suddenly I was jerked back towards my hospital room and when I looked back I realized that it was the nurse that was doing so. "Miss please!" I said, a bit angrily. I had been about to tell Mr. Ackerman about the whereabouts of his daughter…or what I thought was the whereabouts of her. The nurse shook her head.

"I'm sorry Mr. De Silva but….for the sake of trying to make your embarrassment minimal….um…are you feeling a bit of a draft?" She asked curiously.

I looked at her confused for many moments until I looked down and finally realized what she had been talking about and my jaw dropped and I felt my cheeks turning hot with embarrassment as I realized that all I had on was a type of sheet….thing and it was barely enough to cover my….lower….region. I looked up at the family of Simon's and apologized profusely to them and then I quickly tried as best as I could to cover whatever of my dignity that I had left, up and then followed the nurse quickly back to my room where she handed me back my clothing and I waited on the doctor to allow for my departure.

**Susannah's POV:**

I awoke the next morning with a splitting headache and an aching back. Why you may ask? Well that's simple. It's basically because I had slept at the beach all night with the one blanket that I had brought back with me and I was cold….more tired than anything….and it looked to be as if I was about to become seagull food because as soon as I woke up….I found a seagull sitting off to the side of where I had been laying, staring at me. When I moved….he moved with me. When I got up….he didn't fly away. "Okay, go on you stupid bird!" I said as I tried to run it off from me. Finally it grew tired of watching something that he couldn't eat and flew off to find some bread….or what I hoped he would find…rice.

I sat staring out at the waves for a while, remembering what had happened from last night. I couldn't shake the image of Jesse laying on the ground, blood pooling around him….almost like he was…dead. Which he hadn't been. He had merely been unconscious, but with the help of my father….for Maria had dematerialized as soon as she'd seen that I saw her….I had gotten him to the hospital. And boy let me tell you…we had been a sight. Especially for those poor hospital workers who didn't know what was going on. But they had ignored the fact that one side of Jesse was kind of suspended in mid air and had went ahead and taken him into surgery to get him stitched up and to pump more blood into him, since he had lost so much. I stayed around long enough to make sure that he was going to be okay and then I headed back out the door as I didn't want anyone to know that I was back yet. Because according to the people that had seen me in the hospital…I looked a lot like that Susannah Simon kid who had died so tragically. Knowing my mother, if I came home now…she'd think that she'd seen a ghost and probably pass out….then I don't know what would happen…but I could tell you one thing….it wouldn't be good. After a couple of hours of staring at the steadily rising sun and the waves breaking on the shoreline, I decided to go and maybe get some breakfast with what little money I had. I walked around town for a little while, careful to keep my gaze firmly to the ground and hoping that no one that I met would recognize me. I found a small little dingy diner and went inside and ordered scrambled eggs and a cup of coffee. The girl that worked in there looked at me strangely and as I got my breakfast and started eating it, I looked around and noticed one of the missing posters on the wall and let me tell ya…I got out of there…quickly. I knew that I wouldn't be able to hide out for much longer and I was worried that maybe I might get into trouble with the police or my parents or something for "pulling a practical joke that wasn't very funny" on everyone. Because I knew that that was what the police would say if they caught up to me right about now. So I quickly ate a few more bites of my food and then sat my money on the counter and walked as calmly and as quickly as I could out the door desperate for someone to talk to.

And then suddenly I knew who…though the person wouldn't be able to hear me probably….it would at least help me get some things off of my chest. Instead of heading to the beach like I was going to do, I turned around and started for the rectory and the graveyard behind it. I picked up three red roses on my way to the graveyard and then snuck in quietly so as not to be caught and then sat them on Jesse's grave and then sat Indian style in front of it. Just then I looked over and noticed that another grave had been added. Curiously I looked at the name and saw that it was….MINE.

My eyes widened and I shook my head and backed up a little bit in shock. What was my gravestone doing here? I wasn't even dead yet and these people were already setting up a burial service for me? I sighed slightly and then read what my own headstone said. _Beautiful daughter, wonderful friend, Querida._ I stood there shocked for a second as I read these words on my grave and smiled widely. Jesse had put that one small word on my headstone and it felt as if my whole world had lit up just then. It didn't matter that people thought I was dead…or the fact that I was standing here looking at my own grave site. It was the fact that my Jesse at least liked me enough to add that one special name for me on there. I found myself wondering if anyone had asked why that title was on there. I was guessing that nobody even gave it a second glance. I don't know how long I sat there…or how long I just stared at the headstone in silence but when I looked up….I was no longer alone.

"I've missed you so much honey." My father said softly as he came up to me and hugged me tightly.

I smiled slightly. "Thanks dad." I said. I was willing myself not to let any emotion show…but it was getting to be too much to bear.

"Where were you Susannah? Jesse was looking for you, your mother was looking for you…I looked for you." He said sadly as he sat down beside of me and looked at me.

"Paul." I said.

"Who's Paul?"

"The spawn of Satan I believe." I said as I continued staring at the grave in front of me. "He kidnapped me and then I got away but….I couldn't come back to Carmel because he would have found me and the whole thingwouldhavestartedalloveragainand…."

My father stopped me quickly. "Suzie, honey, stop for a second. The most important thing is that you are back with us." He said smiling as he kissed my forehead. "Does anyone else know at all that you are here?" He asked.

I shook my head. "No…no one."

"Not even Jesse?"

I sighed and shook my head again, looking at the grave site.

My father was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "You know….I was here when they put that in. I remember seeing the sad faces of your family and friends…of your mother…" He shook his head. "…And then I saw Jesse's face. He was sad….but there was an emotion that covered up the sadness on his face….do you know what that was Suzie?" He asked me.

I shook my head slowly, curiously.

"Hope." My father said, smiling now. "He hoped that you would come home….to him. He wanted to find you so badly that he was willing to do anything to find you. He just would not accept the fact that you were gone and that he would never see you again. He wouldn't accept that you had….well…you know." He shook his head. "And he was right." I looked at my father with shocked eyes.

"What?" I asked, kind of startled by the whole thing. It was news to me that Jesse thought of me that way. I mean, sure I knew that he liked me but to go so far as…. I just couldn't wrap my brain around the idea.

My father smiled at my obvious look of amazement. "He really likes you Susannah. But that is just something that he needs to tell you himself. I love you honey. Be safe." He said as he leaned down and kissed my forehead before he dematerialized completely, leaving me alone in the graveyard with my thoughts.

I sat there for a few minutes longer…collecting my thoughts and then…having nothing else to do, I got up and went for a walk, ending up at one of my favorite spots on the beach. It was the only spot on the beach that I could sit down and actually think and clear my head without worrying about anyone bothering me….because it was so secluded. Well….actually…I did have one person that would annoy me constantly there….a certain materializing person every now and then. Anyone take a guess at who I'm talking about?

**Jesse's POV:**

After my rather embarrassing encounter with the Ackerman family and that….nurse…the doctor came in and finally said that I could go home….or at least back to the Ackerman's. I thanked the doctor but I could not get the thought of Susannah out of my mind. Had she really been the one to save my life? The thought that she had been so close to me and yet I could not talk to her or feel her or see her made me so angry with myself that I could barely stand it. My Susannah, mi _querida_…..she may be alive….and I had not been there to see her….or at least conscious to see her. The doctor gave me a few forms to fill out and then wished me well and hoped that I did not try to get into any fights after this. I assured him I would not. "Goodbye cutie!" The nurse said at the door as we were leaving. Just then I felt a sharp pain coming from my….well….backside and I jumped and looked back and saw that the nurse had been the cause. My jaw dropped and I shook my head and continued out the door with the Ackerman's. I really did not feel as if that was a battle I wanted to get into.

After my rather embarrassing encounter with the Ackerman family and that….nurse…the doctor came in and finally said that I could go home….or at least back to the Ackerman's. I thanked the doctor but I could not get the thought of Susannah out of my mind. Had she really been the one to save my life? The thought that she had been so close to me and yet I could not talk to her or feel her or see her made me so angry with myself that I could barely stand it. My Susannah, mi …..she may be alive….and I had not been there to see her….or at least conscious to see her. The doctor gave me a few forms to fill out and then wished me well and hoped that I did not try to get into any fights after this. I assured him I would not. "Goodbye cutie!" The nurse said at the door as we were leaving. Just then I felt a sharp pain coming from my….well….backside and I jumped and looked back and saw that the nurse had been the cause. My jaw dropped and I shook my head and continued out the door with the Ackerman's. I really did not feel as if that was a battle I wanted to get into. 

When we got back to the Ackerman household, I got many questioning looks from the family but they did not ask any questions. Instead they helped me around the house with anywhere I needed to go. I assured them that they did not need to do this, but they insisted. Finally they left me alone for a while and I was able to sneak out of the house for a walk. I did not know where I would be going, but at that point I did not care. I found myself walking towards the rectory and towards Susannah's grave. I had to get a few things off of my chest and it only seemed natural that I should do this with my Susannah…but since I did not know where she was…or if it had even been her that the nurse had been talking about….I went to talk to her empty grave. Just as I walked up to the graves, I got an unsuspected sight. Roses….on my grave. Something I had not expected and something I was sure was a sign. It had to have been Susannah. Who else would have left them? I picked them up and smiled widely and wondered why she had not stayed around at the hospital….why had she left? I thought about this a little more and then I stood up and picked the roses up as well and I headed towards the beach to clear my thoughts.

It was not a very long walk from the rectory to the ocean and once I got there I walked right up to the shoreline and stared out at the now setting sun. It was a beautiful sight and it was casting brilliant blues and oranges and reds around the sky and reflecting off the water. I sighed. Mi querida would love this. I hoped that wherever she was now, that she could see this and be as happy as I could not have made her. I looked down at the roses and smiled as I smelled one and then I tossed it out into the ocean. "_Te quiero mi querida_." How I wish I had said it to you before you left. I thought to myself silently. I threw the next rose into the ocean. "I love you Susannah." I said softly, hoping that it would lift the heaviness off of my heart. "I have loved you always. Ever since I first saw you. I wish I had said it to you before you left because now I feel as if there is a constant aching inside my chest and all I think about is you. You are the only one that can cure the ache in my heart and I know now that you could never return my feelings….even as much as I wish it to be so." I shook my head and felt a tear fall down my cheek. "_Con tu adios te llevas mi corazon_. I love you, Susannah." I whispered as I threw the last rose into the ocean and then sat down in the sand and stared at them as they drifted away from me and further into the vastness of the ocean surrounding me.

"Jesse?"

**Susannah's POV:**

I had been sitting in my little secluded area when suddenly I heard someone talking and walking towards where I was. Usually this was quite unusual….but as I listened I realized that my name was mentioned, which was getting to be even more unusual. I peaked my head around the boulder that seemed to be blocking me from view and my jaw dropped at what I saw.

It was Jesse….here….safe and sound and looking just as good as he always did. I noticed that he had three roses in his hands and…I know it was wrong of me but…oh well….I snuck a little closer to see what all he was saying and what he was doing. He looked sad…almost as if he would break down right then and there. Curiously I listened closer and what I heard scared the shit out of me…in a way. I heard him talking…about me…and about how he wished he could have said something to me. Then I heard him say it. The three most magical words I could have ever heard. My smile practically broke my face right about then and I started walking towards him and I leaned down so that I was about ear level with him.

"Jesse." I said softly….somewhat unsure of what he would think….or do. And then I found out. He jumped and almost hit me as he turned his head and looked at me. And then I saw the most amazing smile break out onto his face.

_"Querida?"_ He whispered, almost as if he thought that I was a ghost or something.

I smiled and nodded as I continued to stare at him, scared to death that he would just disappear right in front of my eyes.

"Susannah!?" He asked now, louder this time, eyes wide. And when I nodded again he stood up and picked me up in his arms with a hug that enveloped me completely. "_Mi querida, mi amor_!" I could hear the happiness in his voice and I had a pretty good idea of what he was saying. I smiled wider at this fact and just let him hold me.

"Jesse! I can't believe your back….your alive!" I exclaimed out loud as I pressed a hand to his heart just to make sure that it was really beating. I resisted the urge to giggle childishly when I found out that it was.

"Believe it _querida_, because it is true." He said softly. "I was so worried about you Susannah." He said softly as he looked down at me with those liquid inky eyes that made me melt.

"I'm sorry Jesse, _Ididn'tmeantoworryyouIjust_…." But then I couldn't talk anymore as he had pressed a finger to my lips.

"Susannah." He said smiling slightly. "Stop." And then he leaned down and kissed me. And let me tell ya…I wasn't trying to talk then….nor did I want to.  
He pulled away from me after a second and stared at me for the longest time after that. "Susannah." He whispered. "I…I love you." He said as he caressed my cheek lightly with the backs of his fingers.

I melted right on the spot. "Well…that works quite well then doesn't it."

He looked at me curiously.

"….Because I....I love you too." I said.

He smiled widely and then leaned down and gave me another kiss….and this one…like so many of his other kisses before….was definitely better than the last. And I think the reason why it was so good….was because he loved me…and I loved him…and we both knew it now. And now…since Paul was out of the way…maybe, JUST maybe…we could be happy. And that was enough for me….it really was.

* * *

Well...I hope that ending wasn't a let down for you. I REALLY enjoyed writing it....:) You have NO idea :) Lots of fluff....its good stuff :) lol. Anyway, I wish you all a VERY Happy Thanksgiving and all I can say is....be looking for a 'fic from me between now and Christmas. Now...you know what to do :) REVIEW! :) 


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